Of Tiger Cubs and Chaotic Invasions
by Akaluan
Summary: Please read Dragon Eclipse before this. "Tiger Cubs" is a companion piece that won't make sense without it. They knew he was fragile like spun-glass and all the deadlier because of it. But it was one thing to know, and another to see the way Kaito drew in on himself the minute they crossed into Soul Society. They just hope they can reach him before he does anything unfortunate.
1. Kurosaki Ichigo: Rukongai (DE Ch16)

**This is a companion story to Dragon Eclipse, giving the Karakura Crew a voice about scenes in DE that occur starting from the beginning of the Invasion, in Chapter 16. Please read Dragon Eclipse in order to understand what's going on in here, because a lot of these scenes gloss over smaller things going on around the characters in favor of the thoughts and opinions of the viewpoint character.**

 **Chapters will vary in length pretty drastically, because each is an individual scene from a larger chapter. Later ones do tend to be longer than earlier ones, however.**

* * *

As Yoruichi explained about the kōryū and the danger they had been in, Ichigo kept Kaito in his peripheral vision. The man was hunched in on himself, shoulders up around his ears and hands curled inward to hide within his kimono sleeves. His gaze was blank, head turned towards the well-made buildings not far down the street, but Ichigo doubted Kaito was actually seeing any of it.

( _'There are factions out there that would sooner see me dead than living anywhere in the three realms,'_ ) Kaito had said. It had seemed so fantastical, something out of a bad manga, while they were safe within Urahara's training room, just the three of them and no one else.

(Ichigo hadn't wanted to believe that the afterlife wasn't the peaceful, good place that Rukia told him about. He had desperately _hoped_ that the clues he was picking up were _wrong_ , but here, now, faced with this…)

(He couldn't.)

(Not with the memory of Kaito's defeated, weary expression in his mind's eye. Not with the way Kaito was curled in on himself now, expression blank and empty like never before.)

So Ichigo stepped up to Kaito's side and cast about for a way to pull his friend from his thoughts. "So, this is Soul Society?"

"Yes." Kaito straightened a bit, shoulders dropping away from his ears. "We're standing in the Rukongai, where normal souls live. It's… well. Even if this is the first district, it's still nothing compared to Seireitei where the Shinigami live."

Which meant, Ichigo concluded with a frown, that the buildings just down the road were wear Seireitei actually began. The difference was clear, like a line drawn in the sand, separating those with power from those without. "You came from here, didn't you?"

That, at least, drew Kaito's blank gaze away from Seireitei and to the buildings around then, and then to the far distance beyond the street they were on. "Yes. Not this district specifically, but yes."

"Huh," was all Ichigo could manage without cursing up a storm, mind connecting the information he knew to draw a horrifying conclusion. If this was the 'first district', so close to the Shinigami as to be within walking distance, what did everything look like further out? How bad were the conditions where Kaito had grown up?

(Bad enough to grow up hating Shinigami.)

It left a sour taste in his throat, and Ichigo couldn't help but catch Ishida's gaze for a moment. His friend's lips were compressed into a thin line, shoulders rigid, and there was a distinctive tilt to his head that Ichigo knew meant 'distract him'.

So he did, with the first thing that came to mind.

The open road in front of him was an obvious trap—

(It could be nothing but a trap, given everything Kaito had let slip about Soul Society.)

—but Ichigo still moved to march up the street. A hand on his collar yanked him back to Kaito's side almost immediately.

"Baka," Kaito scolded him with exasperation. "Did all that running tumble loose the lessons I tried to pound into your stubborn head?"

"Ahaha… oops?" Ichigo pulled out his best sheepish look to mask how _pleased_ he was to see the fond exasperation on Kaito's expression, in place of the blank emptiness of earlier. "It's a trap, isn't it?"

Over Kaito's shoulder, Ichigo could see Ishida rolling his eyes and tipping his head back, likely searching for patience in the face of Ichigo's choice of distraction. But as Yoruichi and Kaito began to banter, and the last of the haunted emptiness from earlier drained from Kaito's body, Ichigo knew he would happily act the fool as many times as necessary.

And as Ishida moved to bracket Kaito on the left — mirroring Ichigo's own position on Kaito's right — Ichigo knew he had an ally in his goal.

(Even if Ishida _did_ think him ridiculous more often than not. It was a small price to pay to keep their mentor and friend grounded.)

(It was nothing compared to what Kaito had already paid.)


	2. Ishida Uryuu: Rukongai (DE Ch16-17)

Uryuu stood a loose guard over Inoue while she healed the residents of Rukongai who had mustered up the courage to approach her. He scanned the crowd, wary and watchful, but all he could see was _hope_ , and _reverence_ , and a myriad other emotions that he couldn't place but left him feeling out of place and unnecessary.

The people of the Rukongai were already falling under Inoue's sway.

And maybe he'd need to worry if they stayed longer, if the citizens had enough time to lose that reverent edge, but for now it was unlikely that any of them would harm a hair on Inoue's head.

(It set his teeth on edge.)

It was almost the same regard that his senpai gave her, and it made made Uryuu feel like _hurting_ something. Every moment they spent in Soul Society was an exercise in restraint, and Uryuu knew that Kurosaki agreed with him.

(Kurosaki wasn't that reckless, not anymore. That Urahara-senapai hadn't even caught on to Kurosaki's blatant grab for attention for what it was…)

The last time he had seen Urahara-senpai's expression so empty, so _frozen_ , was that night a few weeks ago, after the fight with Kuchiki and his lieutenant. His senpai had stepped out into the street with mechanical motions, staring at Kurosaki's broken body like he was seeing the end of the world. Nothing had mattered to the man in that moment, not even his allies.

Uryuu had watched in stunned disbelief, unable to move, unable to _comprehend_ , as Urahara-senpai had thrown Tsukabishi like the larger man weighed _nothing_. As he called his bow and forged his arrows and _aimed to kill_.

(Like he had aimed to kill Uryuu himself.)

Only Tsukabishi's skill with barriers had kept the man whole, flaring to life seconds before the arrows struck. Shards of reishi scattered like fireworks, blackening pieces of the rubble that surrounded Tsukabishi.

(Uryuu's grandfather had moved like that some days, arms rising and reiatsu flaring when a Hollow's roar reached them unexpectedly. To see the action carried through, instinctive and vicious and _raw_ , by someone who looked _his age_ was terrifying.)

' _I've seen far too much death,_ ' Urahara-senpai had told him, and in that moment, Uryuu _believed._

' _I understand,_ ' Uryuu had wanted to say, thinking of his grandfather, of his mother, before he bit his tongue and changed his words. He hadn't felt it his right or his place to comment. Hadn't felt comfortable with the man who had nearly _killed him_ just the other day.

(Tsukabishi's skill had rendered the initial attack harmless, but if Urahara-senpai had pressed the attack…)

And here, in these echoing streets, under the weighted gazes of the souls of the Rukongai, Urahara-senpai was once more drawing in on himself. The banter with Yoruichi had faded away as quickly as it began, and Urahara-senpai had settled into an unnatural quiet, his gaze darting about and his steps a predatory stalk.

Uryuu's body had flushed cold and his mouth went dry the moment a soul called out, breaking the uneasy silence. Urahara-senpai's arms had risen, stance changing to one that Uryuu _knew_ , and he knew in that instant that he _couldn't_ allow his senpai to continue.

He had inwardly braced himself, enhanced his body and loosened his stance and prepared to _flee_ the moment Urahara-senpai hurled him away.

(He would survive. A powerless soul would not.)

But Urahara-senpai had restrained himself. Had halted his actions and breathed out and stepped back to allow Kurosaki and Sado to interact with the young soul that had shouted at them. And as the souls of the Rukongai had crept out of the houses, Urahara-senpai had begun to relax at last.

(It made sense. This wasn't the man's district, but they were still his people. To be treated like a leper, like a danger to everyone… it had to hurt.)

So Uryuu stood overt guard over Inoue, and kept an eye on his senpai, and hoped with everything in his soul that he didn't need to step in. But the citizens of the Rukongai left Urahara-senpai alone, let the man rest against a wall and observe them all with a blank, hunted gaze.

The look faded slowly, and the lines of stress slowly eased from Urahara-senpai's face and body, until at last he breathed out and shook his head and finally _saw_ the world around him. His gaze swept over the group, marking where each of them were, and only settling when he'd placed all of them.

Uryuu tensed as a soul approached Urahara-senpai soon after and struck up a conversation, worried about his senpai's reaction. But Urahara-senpai only twitched in surprise—

(It was strange to think that his senpai could be caught off guard so easily. But no one was perfect, and Uryuu needed to _remember that_.)

—and began to speak with the other man. Uryuu could see nothing hostile about the interaction, or about his senpai's stance. Whatever they were discussing, it was nothing Uryuu needed to worry about just yet.

(He had the feeling his hair was going to be as white as Ryuuken's long before they left Soul Society.)

(A small price to pay, for the man who had helped him so much in so short a time.)


	3. Inoue Orihime: Rukongai (DE Ch17)

Urahara Kaito, Orihime knew intimately, was a broken and utterly ruthless man. Whoever he had once been was lost to jagged edges and brittle-glass poise, kindness hidden behind bared teeth and threats that resonated just a _little_ too well.

She had seen the monster beneath his jovial mask, the bloodlust and cunning and _knowledge_ that gleamed fever-bright in his pale eyes. She had watched him ruthlessly carve Chad to pieces, try to carve _her_ to pieces, all in the name of training.

(All in the name of survival.)

Kaito would do it again in a heartbeat. Would smother his kindness and bare his teeth and tear them to shreds in the name of keeping them alive. To him, the ends justified the means.

(What were a few more jagged edges in a man already made of them, after all?)

But she had also seen him smile, warm and loving, at his father. Seen the wistful edge in his eyes at the way she and the others interacted. Felt the way he hovered, just outside their circle, _wanting_ but forever denying himself that final step into their midst.

Kaito was a broken, ruthless man, but he was also a man who was _healing_ , aided by his father and the others in the shoten. And the more he healed, the more he _wanted_ , and the more ruthlessly he denied himself.

(It raised her ire, that he could believe himself so unworthy of them, after everything he had done _for_ them.)

(But she knew he words wouldn't reach him. Not now. Not _yet_. So she bit her tongue and strove to _show him_ what he meant to them. And then cried in Tatsuki's arms late at night over the looks of wary confusion she got whenever he noticed.)

Orihime had not missed the way his monster was lurking so close to the surface, here in Soul Society where he had been born and from where he had recently fled. She had not missed the way Kurosaki and Ishida were working together, keeping Kaito calm and in the now; she was so _proud_ of them, of the way they worked together, so different from the way they had begun.

They were Kaito's right and left hands, and the only one who didn't seem to notice was Kaito himself.

(And didn't that just say everything necessary about his self-awareness and self-worth. Of how little he considered himself a _part_ of their group.)

(She hated it when Tatsuki was so very, very right.)

So when he approached her as she was healing a few of the regular souls of the Rukongai, Orihime did her best not to tense. How lost within his memories was he, how _feral_ was he? She didn't know what to expect, and she _hated_ that sensation.

"How long will you be?" he asked her.

She turned towards him, sizing him up as best she could; the blank emptiness had once more faded from his mien, and he _seemed_ to be steadier, but he was good enough with his masks that she remained wary.

(He wouldn't attack her, not here, not now, not with his gaze so clear and his hands at ease. But who's to say what would happen if she angered him? If she drew his monster to the surface once more?)

(It wasn't only her life on the line. It was Kaito's too.)

"Not too much longer! I should have him healed up in a few more minutes," Orihime answered with a smile, choosing the path of least resistance and letting Kaito make the call to move on immediately or not.

Kaito hesitated and looked towards the sky, then down towards the group around her, and hope rose in her heart. He was considering them, weighing what he could see against things only he knew.

(Was it too much to hope that he permitted her this?)

"To heal the rest, I mean," Kaito finally corrected her, gaze turning from the Rukongai souls and back to her. "Especially those that need it badly."

"O-oh!" His words startled her, despite her hopes, and she couldn't help the warm, thankful smile, nor the relief that spread through her mind at the permission to continue at least for a while. "Maybe an hour or two?" And hopefully that would be enough time, and that he didn't judge it to be _too much_ time; Kaito wouldn't hesitate to drag them away if he did, wouldn't hesitate to tell her no.

But he simply accepted her words. "Very well. Ishida?"

"I'll stay with her," Ishida replied with a nod.

Orihime kept an ear on their gentle banter as she returned to her task, unable to resist the warmth that bloomed in her chest at their easy camaraderie. Why it was Ishida specifically that Kaito relaxed around, Orihime was unsure, but she wasn't going to question it. Anything to draw him further into their group—

—well, except the sniping they were starting to devolve into. Orihime rolled her eyes, then flicked the nose of the boy she was healing when he giggled at her expression and pressed her finger to her lips. The boy clamped both hands over his mouth, eyes sparkling with laughter, and Orihime composed herself.

" _Boys,_ " she admonished Ishida and Kaito, turning to give them a _look_ and her best 'wrangling Tatsuki so she didn't murder Chizuru' smile. "Don't you have something better to do?"

Their confusion had her holding back a giggle by the skin of her teeth, and it was all she could do to maintain her wrangling smile properly. Kaito gave in with a quick, teasing grin at Ishida, and then retreated to leave her alone with Ishida. Once he was out of range, Orihime couldn't resist her laughter any more, and broke into cheerful giggles that the young boy started to echo.

"And that," she told the boy mock-seriously, "is how you keep two headstrong people from devolving into a brawl."

The boy laughed and nodded, and behind her Ishida made a despairing noise that had her giggling once more.

Still, there was something left to be said, and Orihime turned back to Ishida. "Thank you," she told him through her giggles. His confusion should _not_ be amusing—

(Ishida, too, disbelieved his inclusion, despite latching _desperately_ onto it and not letting go, no matter how aloof he tried to pretend to be.)

—but his expression _was_ , and she had to struggle to contain herself so she could explain. "For helping Kaito-kun feel better, and for staying here with me."

Ishida's smile was tiny, a bare, uncomfortable quirk of his lips that she knew was born of his discomfort with being thanked. "You're welcome."

She smiled at him once more — a friendly smile, this time, not a wrangling smile — and turned back to her healing. She had a lot to do, and only a few hours to do it in, after all.

(She wasn't going to squander this chance.)


	4. Ishida Uryuu: Rukongai (DE Ch17)

Uryuu stayed next to Inoue like promised, but did his best to keep track of everyone in the group, especially Urahara-senpai. She might not truly need his protection — not right now at least — but it was what his senpai had asked of him. Uryuu doubted the souls of the Rukongai would try to do anything; they were so desperately grateful for her healing, nearly reverent in the way they spoke and acted around her. It left him uncomfortable, and with an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

The worst of it was, looking back on the way his senpai treated her… there were fragments of that same reverence. Urahara-senpai was a brutal task-master during training, unwilling to go easy on any of them, but after the training was over…

After training was over, Urahara-senpai became almost like a different man, acting like he had no right to her time or attention. He praised her shields, encouraged her healing, but otherwise kept his distance and just _watched_ , something almost wistful in his gaze.

Urahara Kaito, Uryuu realized as he watched another Rukongai spirit bow and thank Inoue profusely, was both utterly enamored of her and believed himself unworthy of her regard. If healers were so revered even here, just meters away from Seireitei itself, then how would they be regarded further out?

(Were there even any healers further out? Could his senpai's friend have been saved if there was a healer nearby? How many souls died of things that could be treated, only to have no one to treat them?)

(He didn't think he liked the afterlife.)

Inoue straightened up and the crowd began to disperse. "Is there anyone else?" she asked the gathered souls, craning her neck to look around as if there would be another patient for her just hiding away.

"No, milady," one of the older looking souls responded with a smile. "You've healed all of us who require it. Thank you very much for your generosity."

She blushed a bit and clasped her hands together. "Oh, no, it was my pleasure! I don't like seeing people hurt, so thank _you_ for letting me help!"

The souls around them murmured their thanks once more and began to drift away, back to their friends and families and homes. Uryuu gestured towards where Urahara-senpai was standing, chatting politely with yet another soul, and started to lead the way at Inoue's nod of agreement. On the way, he caught Kurosaki's gaze and motioned towards his senpai again.

They might as well continue on, since Inoue was finished with her self-imposed duty. His senpai had relaxed enough to speak with outsiders, but he was still throwing wary looks towards Seireitei whenever he wasn't being distracted. Uryuu had to wonder if the souls of the Rukongai weren't doing that on purpose, keeping his senpai distracted from his worries as best they could.

(In repayment for Inoue's healing? Or because Urahara-senpai was one of them?)

"Ready to go?" Urahara-senpai asked the minute they came within speaking distance.

"Yep! They're all healed up. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, Kaito-san." Inoue's happy smile faded a bit along the edges, her gaze darting towards the souls around them before she focused on Urahara-senpai again. "How do the Shinigami _do_ it?" she asked quietly, "Just ignore all these people right outside their walls?"

Uryuu carefully clasped his hands behind his back, fingers digging into his wrists in an attempt to beat back the surge of anger at the way his senpai bit his lip and looked away. The man wasn't shy about answering many of their questions, even when about himself, but this was enough to make him uncomfortable?

"The Shinigami are rather self-contained," Yoruichi spoke, deep voice edged with a level of caution that set Uryuu's teeth on edge. The cat shot Urahara-senpai a wary glance where the other man couldn't see, and Uryuu's rage _smoldered_. "They have many duties that they need to take care of, so what little free time they have is often spent with friends, not out here."

(His grandfather has sworn that Shinigami were good. Were protectors. Were _right_ and _just_ and _worthy of respect_.)

(The more Uryuu learned, the more he doubted.)

(The only Shinigami he had met that even partially fit those criteria were exiles, and didn't that say all he needed to know about the state of reality?)

There was nothing the common souls of the Rukongai could do about… any of this, Uryuu realized with a sinking sensation. He knew the terror of trying to fight in the face of power so far beyond his own… but this wasn't just a _power imbalance_. That required there to be some sort of _power_ on both sides to begin with.

The souls of the Rukongai could be crushed with a careless thought by _any_ of them, and they could do nothing but bite their tongues and _accept_.

Uryuu focused on his senpai, on reading as much from the man as he could. The distant, unhappy cast to his expression lent weight to Uryuu's darker thoughts; whatever the people had to simply accept from their overlords, it wasn't anything _good_.

(Worse than being unprotected? Worse than never being healed, even right outside the gates?)

(He didn't want to know what _worse_ could be.)

"Let's get moving," Kurosaki spoke up to break the silence that had settled. "You still haven't told us where we're going, Kaito."

It was like Kurosaki's words flipped a switch in his senpai's brain; a self-satisfied _smirk_ spread across Urahara-senpai's expression, wiping away the gloom and darkness from a moment ago.

(How much of the man's mercurial emotions were a result of his nature, and how much was just more masks?)

(Uryuu doubted he'd ever figure it out.)

"That's the _fun_ of it, Kurosaki-kun," Urahara-senpai said.

Kurosaki tipped his head back in completely understandable exasperation. "Does that worry anyone else? Because I think I'm officially worried."

"I am too," Sado agreed.

"Yes," Uryuu agreed without needing to think very hard, his own exasperation bleeding through. "Somehow, I feel like I'm going to be regretting my decisions very soon." Which was more than a bit of a lie, especially after all the training his senpai had put them through together.

He hadn't realized how _lonely_ he'd been, before Urahara-senpai had burst into his life and dragged him into the group. He hadn't realized how much he _craved_ having another Quincy around, to talk with and share tricks and to _learn from_. Everything that Ryuuken _denied him_ on a daily basis, Urahara-senpai provided as if doing otherwise had never occurred to him.

If he were to lose this now, after finally starting to learn what he'd been missing out on… he'd never be the same again. And maybe it made him weak, but it also made him _happy_.

"I think it'll be fun! A little mystery never hurt anyone!"

Inoue's words brought Uryuu from his thoughts, and he stared at her in disbelief. _Yes_ , he was unwilling to give this all up, but… he also could _not_ understand her cheerful approach to the world. He sighed and shook his head, sharing a _look_ with Kurosaki as he did.

(He hoped to hell Urahara-senpai never outgrew his awkward reverence of Inoue. The two of them working together would be _hell_ on the world.)

(Why was he sort of looking forward to that day?)

"Well! No one will find out if we don't keep moving," Urahara Kaito agreed with a cheerful grin that sent shivers down Uryuu's back. The man's laughter at their looks wasn't any better; whatever was waiting for them, it was going to be unforgettable.

(But at least Urahara-senpai seemed more cheerful now… hopefully it held.)

(If he had to put up with the man's ridiculous sense humor to do so, then fuck it. He'd put up with it, and know that Kurosaki was right there at his side, suffering just like him.)


	5. Kurosaki Ichigo: Rukongai (DE Ch17)

The Rukongai village gave way to an endless grassland, broken up only by a few small, twisted trees. No villagers followed them out beyond the border of the village itself, not even the children; they stood on the streets, waving and wishing them luck, before drifting back to their own business as the teens moved further afield.

Ichigo grimaced and shared wary looks with his classmates. The grass nearly reached his waist in spots, tall and unbroken and shifting gently from the breeze. There was very little evidence of human presence out here, even though the roofs of the village could still be seen if he turned around.

Every so often, Kaito would pause, gaze sweeping across the landscape, then set off again. He seemed to know where he was going, but the longer they walked the more Kaito hesitated. His eyes would settle on a piece of the landscape, his body orient itself, and yet the moment before Kaito resumed walking grew more noticeable the deeper they went into the grasslands.

(What was it at the end of their path that Kaito feared?)

(Should he, too, fear it?)

The village vanished from view, and suddenly… it felt like they were walking in circles. Lost in an endless land of grass and stunted trees, the sun overhead providing no direction.

"Are you sure you know where the hell you're going?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask, eyeing another tree that he was _certain_ they had already walked past. "This is a long way from the village." Were they going to meet a hermit? Or someone with a power-set that wasn't conducive to village life? Did they just not want to deal with Shinigami?

But if that was the case, why live so close to Seireitei to begin with?

"Are you doubting me, Kurosaki-kun?" Kaito looked back, expression heavy with disappointment.

Ichigo took a step back and raised his hands in surrender, unsure if Kaito was teasing him or not. There _was_ an edge of playfulness to the look, but not _enough_ to set his mind at ease.

(It had cut like a knife, the first time Kaito looked at him with true disappointment. The man hadn't even said anything, just turned away and left Ichigo behind.)

(Ichigo had lasted all of a few hours, chewing over the lesson Kaito had tried to impart, before scrambling to find the man to apologize.)

(Exposure had done nothing to temper his reaction to that look.)

Kaito's expression smoothed out into amused warmth, and the man turned to face forward. "The person we're looking for prefers places like this."

So they _were_ looking for a hermit of some sort, Ichigo concluded.

"Quiet, deserted, and with plenty of space to build a home. They change residences a lot, but you'll know the place when you see it," Yoruichi agreed.

Or, at least, an almost-hermit, Ichigo revised his thoughts. He didn't have nearly enough information to make a solid guess, and Kaito had spent time trying to break him of the habit of assumptions.

He wished it didn't leave him so completely in the dark, however. Yoruichi and Kaito were being far to cagey about who they were meeting, and it left Ichigo feeling anxious. Would the person help? Would they be turned in? Was there anything they should have done in preparation for this meeting?

Orihime moved to walk at Kaito's side, looking up at Yoruichi and asking, "We will? Why?"

Yourichi's ears and whiskers perked forward and his tail-tip twitched constantly. That, along with his mischievous laughter, made Ichigo more wary than before. "Well, just take a look and see for yourselves!"

Ichigo followed Yoruichi's gaze, freezing at the sight of the building that had just come into view. "What. The hell," he couldn't resist asking, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Between the arms emerging from the ground, framing a tiny building and holding a ridiculous banner, Ichigo had no idea how to take it.

(The person they were looking for lived _there?_ )

Ichigo shared a look of dismay with Chad; the building reminded him _so much_ of something Goat-face might do if given the chance, and Ichigo was honestly a bit terrified of what they would find inside. Goat-face could be serious if the situation warranted it, but even then he was prone to over-dramatics and chaos. And if the man they were looking for even _dared_ look at Orihime wrong…

Chad nodded in silent agreement, knowing where Ichigo's mind would have gone. It was a relief to know that he had backup—

(Kaito had driven that lesson in. Driven it home, again and again, until Ichigo looked to those around him as instinctively as breathing.)

—and Ichigo looked next to Ishida, needing to know where _he_ stood.

Only to get an eyebrow arched in question.

Ichigo realized with a start that, of his classmates present, only Chad _knew_ Goat-face. He grimaced and shook his head, gesturing towards Kaito's retreating back to get them moving again.

(He'd just need to hope that Ishida would follow his lead if it came down to it.)

Ishida left Orihime's side as they set off after Kaito, moving to walk at Ichigo's left. "There's something wrong with him," Ishida said, voice low and dangerous, gaze resting firmly on Kaito. Ishida's jaw clenched as Kaito swayed and stumbled a bit, his body tensing to _move_ and a hand rising as if in anticipation of Kaito falling. "His reiatsu…"

"This whole place isn't good for him," Ichigo agreed, shooting a look at Yoruichi as one of the cat's ears swiveled back towards him. The cat turned his head to observe Ichigo for a moment before turning back to Kaito, and Ichigo hoped to hell that Yoruichi wasn't about to tell Kaito about this discussion. "I think he's been lying to us about the level of danger he's in."

"I agree," Orihime said, slipping around Chad and looking up at each of them in turn. Her gaze was solemn, features drawn tight with concern as she chewed on her lip and flicked a glance at Kaito's back. "Let's talk about this more when we have a few moments to ourselves."

"That good with everyone?" Ichigo asked, checking with Ishida and Chad to get their agreement. The trick would be finding time to have that discussion without Kaito around; Ichigo couldn't really blame the man for his hovering, not with the suspicions that were starting to grow, but it put a crimp in their ability to talk in private.

Kaito had often stressed the importance of sharing resources, especially in uncertain situations like this. Ichigo suspected that his classmates all had different pieces of the puzzle that was Kaito's life here in Soul Society, and they _needed_ a clearer picture than what they each had individually. Kaito's father and his hybrid nature meant he was in danger, but in the face of the way the man was acting…

There had to be more going on.

Orihime was right.

They were walking blindly into a dangerous situation, without a solid idea of what they needed to defend Kaito from.

That wouldn't do at all.


	6. Inoue Orihime: Meeting Kukaku (DE Ch17)

**This is completely new content that I never put onto tumblr, so enjoy!**

* * *

Maybe her guess wasn't _that_ far off, Orihime considered as they descended a long staircase that led below the little house above them. Maybe Kaito wasn't _precisely_ the son of an exiled lord, but 'friends in high places' covered a lot of territory, and she had a growing suspicion that there was more than one exiled lord counted amongst Urahara's friends.

She kept her silence as they reached a landing and were gestured into a large, nearly empty room by the man who had led the way. The room reminded her of historical dramas on TV, where a lord would hold court; all that was missing were the rows of underlings for them to walk between to approach—

"Kukaku's a _woman?!_ " Orihime exclaimed with the rest of her classmates, once she registered _who_ was sitting where she expected the lord to be. She clamped a hand over her mouth immediately, eyes wide and praying to the thousand little kami that she — _they!_ — hadn't _offended_ the woman they were here to meet.

"And why aren't _you_ surprised at this?" Kurosaki asked, sending a suspicious look Kaito's way.

She let her hand drop back to her side and considered Kaito; the obvious answer was that he had been here before, supported by the way he led them through the grassland without a map. The way he immediately turned to Kukaku instead of answering, body tense and nervous, lent weight to the idea as well.

(He had only recently arrived in Karakura. Only recently escaped Soul Society.)

(How long had he stayed with Kukaku beforehand? How much was he spitting on her efforts to keep him safe?)

"Tch. Who the hell do you think kept him safe until Yoruichi and Urahara could get him to the Living World?" Kukaku asked them, confirming Orihime's thoughts. The woman frowned at Kaito, eyes narrowed and gaze thoughtful. "I didn't expect to see you here again, kid, much less willingly."

"I'm not about to allow them to go into Soul Society blind," Kaito declared in response.

Orihime looked up at Ishida, wondering if he had caught the same implication that _she_ had. The skin was tight around the corner of his eyes and his hands were clenched, knuckles white; Ishida must have come to the same conclusion, then.

Kaito had only told them that to be a hybrid was looked upon 'poorly' by the people in charge of Seireitei, and Orihime had understood that to mean 'dangerous'. But it looked like she had underestimated _how_ dangerous.

(Did he care so little for his own health or well-being?)

(Did they mean so much to him, after so little time?)

Kukaku sighed and leaned back a bit, saying, "Well, guess I didn't really expect much else from _his_ son. Urahara always was stubbornly loyal once he found people to give his loyalty to."

('Stubbornly loyal'?)

(Whatever had they done, to earn such loyalty so quickly?)

She chewed on that thought while crossing the small distance, settling at Ishida's free side. As far as _she_ knew, they really hadn't done anything special for him—

No, wait.

That was wrong, wasn't it. They _had_ done something he likely considered special.

Orihime leaned into Ishida a bit, sickened by her realization. The evidence was all there, given what they knew of Kaito's past; they had treated him as a friend, invited him along and brought him into their group, despite his attempts at remaining aloof.

(She wanted to deny the evidence with everything she had.)

Doing that, including him so naturally… how much of his loyalty to them was because they had treated him with _common kindness_?

(Almost like Ishida. Lonely, wary Ishida, who wanted their friendship with all his soul but was constantly worried about screwing it up.)

Ishida shot her a worried look, not relaxing in the slightest at her head-shake. 'Later,' she mouthed at him, hoping it would deter him for a while. Now was not the time or place to get into a discussion of her realization.

(She wished _never_ was the time or place, but this was something they others needed to know, if they didn't already have suspicions. Loyalty like that… they could abuse it so horribly without even realizing.)

(She needed to speak with Kurosaki and Chad about Ishida, too. How had she not realized before now?)

"So." Kukaku's voice drew Orihime's attention. The woman took a draw of her lit pipe and exhaled the earthen-scented smoke, giving each of them a look in turn. "You're all here to invade Seireitei and save a friend."

"That's correct," Yoruichi agreed.

Kukaku smirked, wisps of smoke escaping her lips and curling about her face. "Well, who am I to say no to trouble. I accept."

"Just like that?" Kurosaki exclaimed incredulously. "You don't even know us!"

But she knew _Urahara_ , and they had Urahara's _son_ leading the way, Orihime thought; Kukaku's roar of laughter all the confirmation she needed.

(Maybe the stubborn loyalty wasn't just on Urahara's part.)

"If Urahara's involved," Kukaku said, pointing at Kaito with her pipe, "how could I possibly say no? You've got his son sitting right there, pretty as you please; if that's not tacit agreement with this scheme, I have no idea what would be."

Orihime grimaced and rested a hand on Ishida's leg, catching his attention once more. At his questioning look, she tipped her head towards Kukaku, hoping that Ishida caught her meaning.

(If Kaito's presence alone was enough for Kukaku to know how his father felt, then how would _other_ Shinigami react?)

Ishida's lips pinched together, gaze shifting between Orihime and Kukaku for a moment, before he turned to Kaito and leaned in, murmuring something that Orihime couldn't really hear. Whatever it was, Kaito shook his head in response, and Ishida sat upright once more. His hand moved to rest atop hers, fingers tightening just slightly before he released his grip.

(He didn't look pleased with the answer Kaito had given him.)

"You're right though, I don't know you," Kukaku spoke when it was clear no one was going to respond to her previous words. "I trust Yoruichi, and Urahara, but you kids… I'm not so sure about you." Her gaze moved between them, lingering on Ishida and Kurosaki from what Orihime could tell. Perhaps because of how they had positioned themselves in relation to Kaito? "I'm assigning a man to assist. That's all right with you, isn't it?"

Yoruichi nodded and spoke before anyone else could, "Of course. I expected as much."

"I'll have to introduce you later," Kukaku said, flicking her pipe to dislodge the ashes. "He's out with his crew right now, but he should be back in a few hours. In the mean time.. Koganehiko! Come show our guests to the dining room so they can have some food while they wait!"

Orihime twisted to look at the door as it slid open, the guard from before leaning in and saying, "Of course, ma'am!"

Given such a clear dismissal, Orihime rose to her feet with Ishida and started to move towards the door.

"Not you, boy. Sit a while with me and chat. You'll get lunch when we're through."

Kukaku's words had Orihime spinning on her heel, eyes wide and body tensed. That was _not_ a request, and there was a dangerous edge to it that made Orihime afraid. It was the height of rudeness to try to _stay_ when a noble had dismissed them, but she _really_ didn't want to leave Kaito alone!

And given the way the other three had stopped and turned back, neither did _they_.

Kaito's posture was resigned, shoulders slumped and head tilted down. Even his reiatsu was quieter, pulled in tight to his body instead of ranging about like he usually let it.

(He expected to be scolded. He expected to be _punished_.)

But still he turned back to them, shaking his head and giving them a narrow-eyed look. Reluctant but unwilling to challenge both Kaito _and_ a noble, especially when the others were starting to back down, Orihime slowly backed out of the room.

It was one of the hardest things she'd done in her life.

(If Kukaku hurt him…)

(Noble or not, _nothing_ would save her.)


	7. Sado Yasutora: Lunchtime (DE Ch17)

Chad cast a thoughtful look at the doors to the reception room that they had just left, before turning to follow the others down the hallway. Leaving Kaito behind, even for such a short time, didn't sit well with him; the other had clearly been wary of Kukaku, body wound like a spring about to break even as he tried to convince them he was fine.

Kukaku had said she had taken Kaito in before he escaped to the Living World; was she angered that Kaito had returned so soon? Would she take that anger out on Kaito? Was that why Kaito was so wary?

(Kaito always expected the worst out of people's reactions to him.)

He clenched his fist, biting back the urge to fight. It would do him no favors here.

(There was nothing he could do but wait.)

He owed Kaito for giving him the tools to keep his promise to Ichigo, but using those tools recklessly would break his promise to his Abuelo. He needed to keep his head and remember that Yoruichi had remained behind with Kaito as well, and all evidence pointed at Yoruichi's love for his friend's son.

"Food will be here for you shortly," Koganehiko announced, gesturing them into a small dining room with a small bow. "Please, make yourselves at home while Kukaku-sama converses with Yoruichi-sama and Kaito-san."

"Thanks," Ichigo told the man, as they all filtered into the room and settled around the low table.

A heavy silence fell as they waited, gazes darting between one another as they all hesitated to take the first step. It was one thing to agree to pool their information on a person they all owed, but it was another thing to follow through on that agreement.

Even a servant appearing with trays of food didn't nudge them into talking, though Chad could certainly feel the tension easing once the man was once more out of sight.

(It was a good thing to remember, though. They weren't alone here, weren't _private_ here, no matter what it looked like.)

"This is getting us nowhere," Ishida broke the silence. He picked up his chopsticks and poked at the food for a moment, gesture more one of thought than wariness or disgust. "So how about we start with what we know for certain."

"He's Urahara's son, who no one expected to exist," Ichigo offered.

Chad's lips twitched in amusement. Trust Ichigo to take Ishida's statement literally, even if it _was_ a good starting point. Everything stemmed from that very fact, including at least part of the reason they were so worried about Kaito to begin with.

"Yes, thank you," Ishida told Ichigo dryly. "Any more shocking revelations?"

"Well you asked."

Before Ishida could do more than make a low, pained noise of frustration, Chad took the opportunity to cut in. Allowing Ichigo and Ishida to continue sniping at each other would get them nothing but entertainment; that was fine back in the safety of Karakura, but not here. "Yoruichi-san brought Kaito-san here, before they managed to bring him to the Living World."

"Yoruichi-san and Kukaku-san are important people," Orihime added. "Kaito-kun said something about his father having 'friends in high places', and I think those two are some of them."

"Well, they probably once _were_ ," Ishida agreed, then gestured around them to indicate the entire home they were in. "But this? This is probably exile just like _Urahara-san_ was exiled, and we already know that _his_ crime was 'something to do with hybrids', so this… whatever happened to Kukaku-san and her family was likely a 'lesser' crime of some sort." He frowned and fidgeted with his chopsticks, gaze on the table in front of him. "I don't know about Yoruichi-san, though. Whether he was exiled too, or just… followed Urahara-san on a whim."

Ichigo grimaced and rubbed at the back of his head. "Okay, are we just going to ignore that we're calling a cat a noble?"

Ishida and Orihime exchanged looks then shrugged, and Chad had to agree with them. They really didn't know much of anything about Soul Society, so the idea that a talking cat could be a noble wasn't… really that odd, was it?

"Maybe it's like some of the old legends! A great and powerful cat-prince, exiled for being led astray by their human friend! Oh, or maybe Yoruichi-san was a noble like Kukaku-san, and was cursed to live the rest of his life as a cat for some horrible misdeed!" Orihime grinned and spoke in a hushed tone, voice full of mischief, "Maybe he stepped on a cat-prince's tail and didn't apologize!" She laughed when Ichigo rolled his eyes and sighed in response, then said in a more normal tone, "I mean, he can _talk_ and do things that other cats can't do, and it's the nobility part that bothers you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo grunted and ate some of his food in order to cover his embarrassment. "Fine, whatever, he's a noble. Next point?"

"Shinigami aren't very welcome out here," Chad felt the need to add. It was more about Kaito's environment while growing up than about Kaito himself, but environments like that could easily turn toxic. The expectations and mindset could box a person in, no matter how they struggled to resist. And once a label was applied, Chad knew, it was nearly impossible to remove.

(How much did others hate him, for having Shinigami skills?)

(How much did Kaito hate _himself_ , for being what he grew up learning to hate?)

Ichigo grimaced and tugged at his hakama for a moment, uncomfortable with the reminder. "At least that explains why he was so insistent that he _wasn_ _'t_ a Shinigami, back in the beginning." At the curious looks that earned him, Ichigo shrugged and continued, "When Rukia and I confronted him a few days after Don Kanonji's show, he kept giving her the run-around, insisting he wasn't a Shinigami because he'd never gone to the Shinigami Academy."

So that was the route Kaito had decided to take, Chad mused as he ate; all the skills, but not the title, so he couldn't _possibly_ be a Shinigami.

(Was it the _skills_ or the _beliefs_ that made a Shinigami?)

(How much did it matter to someone raised like Kaito?)

"Oh," Orihime said softly. She chewed on her lip for a moment, then said slowly, "But he has the training of one of them, doesn't he."

"Because it's foolish to leave an advantage untrained," Ishida told her. "And now that he's visibly aligning himself with an ex-Shinigami, he _needs_ that strength." He hesitated, then spoke in a low tone that didn't carry very far, "He's told me he pities the Shinigami more than he hates them, these days, because he sees them as being being blindly led by those in power."

(So Kaito _had_ hated Shinigami, and perhaps still did at his core.)

(That was a recipe for disaster.)

Chad exchanged an uncomfortable look with Ichigo, thinking on Ishida's words. Kaito needed the Shinigami training because he couldn't rely on his Quincy heritage, not when he was so obviously the son of a Shinigami. How much did that need twist Kaito's opinion of himself around?

He didn't know why the Shinigami had such a problem with hybrids, but the way Kaito had spoken about it, the nervous edge to his forcibly bland tone and the way he had glanced at his father before speaking, said volumes about how the upper echelons of Seireitei felt about it.

(How did the Rukongai feel about such souls? Had the Shinigami's prejudice crept out to influence them, too?)

"We're going to need to be careful," Ichigo told them all. "Kaito is stronger than us individually, but he's only one person in the end. If they took enough offense at Rukia giving me her powers temporarily to order her executed, then we really can't say how they'll react to our invasion."

"We can't give them any more openings than we already have," Chad agreed. Invading with intent to free a prisoner was bad enough; the more they overstepped, the more dangerous their lives would become. "When we get inside those walls, we can't afford to make any mistakes," he continued, leaning over to better give Ishida a look of caution; of them all, he trusted Ishida, and Ishida's control, the least, though he was coming around to the idea more with each passing day.

There was something _desperate_ about Ishida, a feral air that reminded Chad too much of Kaito at his most exposed. It was beginning to fade with every bit of proof that the rest of them _cared_ about him, but Chad knew how easy it was to slip back into former habits at the slightest provocation. Ishida's new balance was a precarious, fragile thing, and Chad had no doubt that it could shattered in a heartbeat; all it would take was the sight of one of them falling to a Shinigami, and Ishida would lash out with all his strength.

Ichigo elbowed him in the side and gave him a narrow-eyed look, to which Chad simply shrugged. The words needed to be spoken, and all of them, not just Ishida, needed to hear them. Letting their passions run wild would set them on a path they couldn't escape and would _never_ be on the winning side of.

(He remembered the lecture Kaito had given Orihime and him when they came to him for training.)

(The invasion was dangerous enough.)

Ishida huffed and focused on his food, not meeting any of their gazes. "I know, damnit," he muttered. "You don't need to rub it in my face. I won't kill any of the bastards, I promise."

"I know you won't," Ichigo said with a level of confidence that had Ishida looking up sharply, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

(Like Kaito sometimes did, whenever they included him. Whenever they looked to him outside of training, or spoke kindly of him.)

(Whenever they treated him like a friend, instead of a person to denigrate or ignore.)

He filed that thought away in the back of his mind for the moment, content to let it settle and expand on its own. The similarities between Ishida and Kaito were small but startlingly vivid, and Chad didn't like the implications behind that in the slightest, especially in regards to what it meant about _Ishida_ _'s_ life.

Maybe it was for the best that Kaito had pulled the other teen into their midst, and not just for the sake of having another fighter at their side.

Ishida cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away from Ichigo to glance at the rest of them. Whatever he saw there had him relaxing, the tension draining from his body as he said, "Yes, well. Doing our best to keep things civil is only going to help us so much, you realize. The Shinigami are… they're very good at making judgment calls and then letting them stand even in the face of other evidence, and Kuchiki-san's verdict is only the most recent example of this."

"Ishida-kun..?" Orihime asked, a frown of concern on her face.

"It… doesn't matter. The details at least." Ishida grimaced at the sad look Orihime was sending him, but still shook his head and said firmly, "No, this isn't the place to get into a conversation like this. Maybe… maybe I'll tell you later, but… just trust me on this, please?"

(Shinigami didn't like _Quincy_ either.)

"Alright," Ichigo readily agreed, turning his attention to the servant who was bringing in another tray of food. Their window of opportunity was slowly closing, and they'd barely scratched the surface.

Ishida inclined his head slightly to Ichigo in what Chad suspected was thanks, then tried to get them back on track before their missing team-member showed up. "Our own circumstances aside, we really can't allow Urahara-senpai to continue doing everything for us. You saw how she—" he tilted his head towards the direction they had come, leaving no doubt in Chad's mind he was referring to Kukaku, "—reacted to him, and she's not even a Shinigami."

"You're right," Orihime agreed. She glanced from the place set out for Kaito and then to the servant as the man started to walk back out. She didn't speak again until the man had closed the little door behind him, leaving them ostensibly alone once more. "I think… I think he's been underplaying how much danger he's in, here."

"Do you want to tell him no?" Ichigo grumbled. "His _father_ let him come, and he calls Yoruichi his sensei. If they let him, what chance do we have to change his mind?"

Absolutely none, Chad knew. Kaito liked them, and even trusted them to an extent, but he wasn't the sort of person that would allow himself to be swayed by the fears or worries of others. "Then we need to keep an eye out. Watch his back."

That was about all they could do, and the other three knew that as well, judging by their murmurs of agreement and reassurance that they would continue his later. Hopefully, the next time they had a moment to sit down to talk, they would actually have a measure of actual privacy as well.

By the time Kaito walked into the room to eat his own meal, silence had settled over them as they worked to finish eating. Whatever happened next, they didn't want to rush themselves; Kaito would only make them regret that decision.

Judging by Kaito's mirth and toothy smiles, _not rushing_ was probably the best idea they could have right now. He only seemed to get that look when he was planning on teaching them something difficult and annoying to master.

(Chad really wished he didn't know that much about Kaito at this point.)


	8. Ishida Uryuu: After Lunch (DE Ch18)

Uryuu watched as Urahara-senpai stared down at the orb in his hands, gaze unfocused and thoughtful, reiatsu slowly rising around him. In a sudden, controlled rush the power drained straight into the orb, producing a translucent golden shell around Urahara-senpai's body.

Kurosaki frowned and stepped closer, raising a hand to rest it on the solid shell that separated them from Urahara-senpai. "What the hell? Kaito..?"

"This is how we're going to get into Seireitei," his senpai informed them. "The wall might not be down right now, but never doubt the defenses available to the Shinigami. This will protect us against nearly anything, so long as we can work together to keep it stable."

That was a tall order, Uryuu thought as he caught the orb when Urahara-senpai tossed it to him, thankful that the toss was gentle. He didn't know much about meshing reiatsu signatures to power a single skill, just that it was _difficult_ even with people that were related; the idea of trying to get _five unrelated people_ to synchronize their signatures and output was daunting.

(Of course that would be the hurdle they needed to overcome, something that most practitioners had barely heard about.)

"Give it a try. Just focus your reiatsu into the sphere in a steady stream."

Uryuu nodded and concentrated on the orb. Power gathered around his hands, flickers of pale blue that crept towards the orb then shied away, instead of sinking into the orb like Urahara-senpai's reiatsu had. Uryuu frowned and let his reiatsu fade away before calling it back up; Urahara-senpai had said to focus his reiatsu _into_ the sphere, but his reiatsu didn't seem to _want_ to.

(Or perhaps he was thinking about it wrong?)

(Less 'force' and more… 'guide'?)

He breathed out, centered himself, and let his reiatsu rise once more, pointing it at the orb in his hands. It slid like water through his fingers, sinking into the orb with barely a struggle, and an oblong shell snapped into being around him.

"A bit more focus. You want as close to a perfect sphere as you can manage to hold. Keep that in your thoughts as you feed your reiatsu into it."

It was like shaping his arrows, Uryuu realized. Will and belief and _thought given form_ , and the shell _shifted_ around him, flaring outward into something closer to an actual sphere. His mental image needed refining, but now that he understood what his senpai wanted, it was only a matter of time before he managed it.

"Good. Enough for right now. Pass it to Inoue-san and let her try. Once you've all had a chance to try it in front of me, I'll pass out the other two so more of you can practice at once," Kaito explained.

Uncontrolled reishi flared to life around him as he cut off the flow of reiatsu into the orb; he would need to perfect _that_ , too. Urahara-senpai had managed to disengage without a sign, so Uryuu would strive to master that as well.

Inoue started her own attempts at channeling her reiatsu into the orb, and Uryuu watched Urahara-senpai as closely as he could get away with, comparing what he was seeing with how the Rukongai citizens had acted. His senpai clearly wished to give advice or ask a question, but seemed to believe it wasn't his place to speak.

What had happened between Inoue, Sado, and Urahara-senpai on that morning where Inoue and Sado had unlocked their powers? None of them spoke of it, but _something_ had clearly happened.

(Nothing good. Nothing _kind_.)

(There was only one way he knew to unlock powers in such short order.)

(He prayed he'd never need to make that same choice some day.)

Yet his senpai didn't hold the same hesitance and reserve with Sado; was it the same reverence for a healer than the other Rukongai citizens had shown, made worse by the actions he had undoubtedly taken?

He didn't know, but perhaps the others would.

(They _listened_ when he spoke. Corrected him when he was wrong and acknowledged when he was right, and never _dismissed_ him or his feelings.)

(Was this what _friendship_ was supposed to be?)

If only their lunchtime discussion could have lasted longer, but Uryuu had not expected it to be very long in the first place. They were too exposed in the dining room, with servants able to walk in on them whenever and with no idea of how long Urahara-senpai would be held up. They needed privacy, a thing Uryuu had no idea how to guarantee here within Soul Society.

Uryuu glanced at Sado, thinking on the teen's admonishment. It hadn't been malicious, no matter how humiliating Uryuu had found it; it was just… a reminder that they couldn't afford to screw up. Couldn't afford to antagonize the Shinigami any further than they already _were_ by invading and attempting to free a prisoner.

(It wasn't like he'd ever made a secret of his opinion on Shinigami.)

But then Kurosaki had to go and say that he _knew_ Uryuu wouldn't go back on his word, and Sado had _accepted_ that and said nothing more. His reminder had been spoken, Kurosaki had spoken up, and _that was it_.

(He didn't think he'd ever grow used to the way the other three just _let him in_. Didn't think he ever _wanted_ to grow used to it.)

(What if growing used to it meant taking it for granted?)

Inoue passed the orb to Sado, and Urahara-senpai gave the tall teen his full attention. Listening to his senpai encourage and give advice so freely and easily was an experience Uryuu would never grow tired of. The man sounded so natural, his voice even and encouraging even when Sado didn't immediately achieve the goal; it was as if it never even crossed his senpai's mind to be disappointed, or that they should be perfect on their first attempt.

"That's enough for now," Urahara-senpai told Sado once the other teen had shown a basic proficiency in the skill. "You're getting the hang of it, and a short break will help. Kurosaki-san, it's your turn."

"You know, you can call me Ichigo," Kurosaki said as he accepted the orb from his friend. "I'm calling you Kaito, after all."

Urahara-senpai's reiatsu flared and curled like jagged claws poised to strike, and Uryuu stiffened and forced himself to remain still. It was like that first meeting all over again, coming face-to-face with a predator so large, so _deadly_ , that his only option was to _freeze_ and hope the man overlooked him. But this time the fury was aimed at Kurosaki, giving Uryuu a chance to catch his breath and _think_.

(Kurosaki's body, laying eerily still on the dark pavement. Urahara-senpai's lost, devastated gaze. His brutal attack the moment he was disturbed. A story about a friend killed because they were too proud to work together.)

(' _I_ _'ve seen too much death_ ', Urahara-senpai had told him. An explanation, not an apology. A man with a blade whose full name meant 'hidden guardian'.)

Urahara-senpai breathed out and ran a hand through his hair, fury subsiding as swiftly as it had risen.

(Was it only Kurosaki's name, or _all_ of theirs? Did they dare test it?)

"No offense, but one Ichigo in my life is more than enough." Urahara-senpai's voice was laced with brittle cheer, and, irrational as the urge was, it made Uryuu want to _strangle_ Kurosaki for doing that to his senpai.

"Well, offer's open anyway," Kurosaki answered with a poor attempt at a casual shrug.

"Perhaps one day." The words sounded like they were dragged from his senpai's throat against his will, the man clearly uncomfortable with both the offer and his response to it.

Kurosaki flashed a smiled at Urahara-senpai then turned his focus to the orb in his hands, scowl returning full-force as the teen attempted to prod the orb to life. It wasn't long before Urahara-senpai stepped back and scooped up the two spare orbs, tossing one to Uryuu and another to Inoue, and gestured for the three of them to head towards a far corner.

Uryuu went, knowing that there was little he could do to help his senpai teach Kurosaki. He _did_ briefly consider passing the orb to Sado in order to watch his senpai a while longer, but his senpai _had_ told Sado to take a break. Sado wouldn't mention it to Urahara-senpai, but Uryuu _knew_ the man would realize what he'd done, somehow.

(He _refused_ to disappoint his senpai like that. He _refused_.)

He fidgeted with the orb for a moment, sending tiny bursts of reiatsu into it and watching the way it flickered like a firefly in his hands. He _needed_ to practice, but what he needed to learn wasn't something he could do on his own; it was difficult to tell how spherical he had made the shell from the inside, unable to see the edges. It galled him to ask for help, but… maybe Sado wouldn't mind? "Will you spot for me?" Uryuu asked the other teen warily. "Tell me when the shape isn't correct?"

"Of course," Sado replied with a nod.

Uryuu relaxed at Sado's agreement and bent his focus towards the orb and practicing. Sado's corrections were blunt but kind, and Uryuu let himself fall into a rhythm of creation-hold-destruction that worked for the two of them.

Until, that is, Kurosaki's rising reiatsu distracted him; it was like drowning, his senses overwhelmed by the wild, powerful flood of reiatsu that filled the room. Uryuu gave up on trying to focus through it and turned to look, only then noticing that both Inoue and Sado were watching as well.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Inoue whispered when she noticed him looking.

Uryuu nodded in agreement. Urahara-senpai stood at ease, coils of bright gold reiatsu wrapped around his arms, sparks scattered like stars through his pale hair. He looked like a creature out of legend, an ethereal kami barely touching upon their world as the gold reiatsu slowly evaporated into a heat-shimmer around his body.

Sado tilted his head then looked over at Uryuu. "What causes that?"

"High concentrations of raw reiatsu can cross into the visible spectrum," Uryuu explained, thinking back to what he knew of reiatsu manipulation and trying to phrase it without relying on Quincy terminology. "My bow and arrows operate on almost the same principle, although that's a combination of factors and driven by intent. That," he gestured towards the shimmering strands of gold, "is undirected, and thus visible simply because of how powerful it is."

"Kurosaki-kun is strong," Inoue murmured, looking down at the orb in her hands. "Is… is Kaito-san just as strong?"

"Stronger," Uryuu answered without hesitation, even as more golden strands flared to life around Urahara-senpai, further limning the man in brilliant power. "He's channeling all that power through _himself_ first. I… I doubt I could do the same." The admission stuck in his throat, but Uryuu forced it out.

(There was no shame in admitting weakness. Urahara-senpai had, owning his failures and weakness freely when they came up. _There was no shame in it._ )

(He still couldn't bear to look at the others as he spoke.)

Urahara-senpai continued his lesson, unaware of the attention he had gained. Uryuu tried to focus past the overwhelming flood of reiatsu to sense what his senpai was doing, but he couldn't. His senses were too dulled, too drowned by the flood, to sense much of anything.

"We should get back to practicing," Sado said, plucking the orb from Uryuu's hands and moving back to the corner.

Inoue shook herself from her daze and trailed after him, glancing back at Urahara-senpai as she did. "I wish I could capture that," she murmured to Uryuu as they moved. "He's so _beautiful_."

"He doesn't look entirely real," Uryuu said, watching the sparks dance like fireflies through his senpai's hair. "Like I could just… reach right through him."

Inoue hummed and watched for a bit longer, then looked over at Uryuu and asked, "Do you think he's a yokai? Or even a minor kami of some sort?"

Uryuu considered it, weighing what he knew of his senpai against the legends, then shook his head. "If he is, he's a new one. What he's told us… there's too much still _human_ about him, I think. But… maybe." He stared at his hands, flexing his fingers as he thought of Urahara-senpai's stories. "Maybe in that moment when his friend fell. Maybe he fell too, but… kept going?"

"He was already a spirit," Inoue said thoughtfully, eyeing Kaito. "He was _born_ here, right? That's… not usual, is it?"

"According to him, it isn't." Uryuu hesitated, then continued when Inoue shot him a curious look. "It means he's a brand new soul, one that's never been through the cycle of reincarnation. To _make_ a new soul like that, both parents have to be powerful." Which meant, Uryuu realized with a start, that _most_ new souls were likely to be born inside Seireitei, where strong souls gathered under the banner of the Shinigami.

(How much danger had Urahara-senpai been in since birth? Out on the edges of the Rukongai, where Shinigami rarely ventured and Hollows roamed freely, a newborn soul with powers that strong…)

He grimaced and looked away from his senpai, unwilling to continue that train of thought. "We should get back to practicing," he prompted Inoue, stepping towards Sado. "Senpai won't be pleased if we just watch him the whole time."

"Right," Inoue agreed with a final glance at Urahara-senpai, before she turned away and marched to stand a bit away from Sado.

They settled back into practicing, trading the orbs back and forth and doing their best to help each other out.

Uryuu… struggled. Not with the practice, but with trying to _help_ the other two. He'd never given advice before, and found himself needing to bite back comments that reminded him far too much of Ryuuken: disparaging and brutal and _hurtful_ in ways that would never, _never_ help.

(He knew it never would, because it never had.)

(It _festered_ in his soul, angry and hateful and constantly gnawing at his confidence. Urahara-senpai had begun to help, had begun to _heal_ that hate, but… it was still there. Still lingering, like a wound left untreated his whole life.)

Instead, he bit his tongue and swallowed the first words that came to mind every time. He looked away from expectant gazes and tried to _think_ , to come up with how Urahara-senpai would phrase it. How he would explain the things the other two were having difficulty with.

It helped.

(It helped so much.)

During one of his breaks, Urahara-senpai left Kurosaki's side and strode over to them, and Uryuu couldn't help but watch, mesmerized. Reiatsu clung to the man's entire body, wisping away like smoke and heat-shimmer as he moved. He looked _comfortable_ wreathed in someone else's power, like it was a natural part of life.

(Did his father do that? Envelope him in power, so much that Urahara-senpai no longer registered how _odd_ it was to carry another's _will_ so close to his own?)

"You're trailing gold," Uryuu pointed out when Urahara-senpai reached his side.

His senpai frowned and looked down, then gave a soft laugh as if he hadn't noticed until Uryuu mentioned it. He began to absorb the swirls of reiatsu, straight into his core if Uryuu was sensing things correctly. "How are they?"

Uryuu glanced back at the other two in consideration, weighing their progress in his mind. "Inoue-san is quite good, and Sado-san no longer needs his armor activated in order to use the Reishūkaku."

"How about time?"

He hesitated at that; they hadn't been specifically aiming for speed, only for extending how long they could hold it now that they had the basics. Had Urahara-senpai wanted them to be fast, too?

(Did speed matter for whatever scheme his senpai had in mind?)

Uryuu shook his head, reminding himself that his senpai wouldn't be _angry_ if that was the case, only tell them to continue training. The reminder was enough for him to find his words. "It can take them a few moments to call it up, sometimes, but neither of them seem to have any problems holding it for long stretches of time anymore."

A shimmer caught Uryuu's gaze, and he watched in surprise as his senpai fiddled with a strand of Kurosaki's reiatsu like it was a piece of yarn: twisting and coiling and threading it through his fingers in absent movements. As Urahara-senpai watched Inoue and Sado, Uryuu watched _him_ and wondered.

(Would his senpai do the same with _his_ reiatsu, if this ever happened to them? Would he walk, limned in power and completely at ease with it? Would he stand and unconsciously toy with a fragment, so comfortable with his power — with _him_ — that it didn't even register?)

"Alright!" Kaito's voice, combined with the way he clapped his hands together abruptly, shattered Uryuu's haze of thoughts. "Enough for right now. It's time we stopped for dinner."

"You guys go on—"

"Kurosaki," Urahara-senpai interrupted Kurosaki, his smile predatory, "if the next words out of your mouth are 'I'm going to stay here and practice', _I_ _'m_ going to kick your ass, drag you to dinner, and ban you from any further practice for the rest of the evening."

Uryuu couldn't blame Kurosaki for the way his mouth snapped shut and he started edging towards the doorway. Urahara-senpai had gone from pleasant to _terrifying_ in a heartbeat, and while it wasn't the violent fury of before, it still screamed _danger_ to all of Uryuu's instincts.

"Excellent. We'll all be returning after the meal, but I want everyone to eat and recharge as much as possible before we try to tackle the next thing I want us to learn."

That was… ominous. Uryuu shared a look a dread with Kurosaki; they'd _both_ heard that dangerously cheerful tone before. Whatever was in store for them was going to be _difficult_.

(But they'd do it. For him, Uryuu would do _anything_ , and he knew Kurosaki felt the same.)

(It was the least he could do for the man who had shown him what _friendship_ meant.)


	9. Inoue Orihime: Dinner (DE Ch18)

Orihime picked at her food and watched Kaito out of the corner of her vision. He looked so alone where he sat, drawn into himself and away from them despite sitting within reach. She wanted desperately to reach out and draw him back to them, but the way his eyes were flickering side-to-side reminded her of Tatsuki when she was thinking deeply and didn't want to be disturbed.

(What was he thinking about?)

"You need to eat," Chad said, pulling her attention away from Kaito and back to the others.

Ishida nodded, though his gaze darted to Kaito as he did. "Sado-san is correct. Whatever senpai wants to teach us next is going to need lots of energy."

"I know." Orihime grimaced and turned to her food with more determination than before. She was more tired than hungry, but she'd been through enough of Kaito's lessons to know the fallacy of that sensation. Eating would help her regain the energy she needed for the next lesson. "He's just…"

"Yeah," Ishida agreed with a grimace, poking at his food and eyeing Kaito. "He interacts with us just fine whenever he's teaching, but as soon as he's _done_ …"

"He doesn't know how," Kurosaki finished. He gave Ishida pointed look, and said, "He's almost like _you_ with that. Especially when you first joined us." Ishida sputtered in protest and Kurosaki arched an eyebrow, saying, "Tell me I'm wrong."

Orihime mentally sighed and braced herself for an argument; putting Kurosaki and Ishida in a room together, without Kaito running herd on them, was a recipe for chaos and snark. They were friends no matter how much they denied it, but their friendship was _volatile_ at best; entertaining, usually, but it could get old very quickly.

"Kaito-san never had a reason to learn," Chad interrupted the budding argument before it could get out of hand. At the curious looks he got, he shrugged awkwardly and continued, "How many people has he mentioned from his past?"

"Two, his mother and his best friend," Ishida said.

She grimaced and glanced over at Kurosaki, hoping the other teen would have at least _one_ more name to add to that list. It was possible that Kaito simply felt no need or desire to speak about anyone else, and she dearly hoped that was true, but…

But as Kurosaki scowled deeper and nodded in agreement, Orihime felt her hopes sink. Her instincts agreed too; he just didn't react properly to _any_ of their overtures for friendship or a close family to be part of his life growing up. It wasn't even that he was friendship-shy, it was that he didn't seem to _understand_ what they were offering.

(Like Ishida. Who scowled and complained and picked fights with Kurosaki, and then constantly shot the other teen wary looks whenever Kurosaki looked away. At least Ishida _understood_ , even if he didn't precisely _trust_.)

Chad sighed through his nose and pointedly _didn_ _'t_ glance at Kaito as he made a small 'point proven' gesture. "I bet his best friend was outgoing like you," he told Ichigo. "I bet he was dragged into that friendship unexpectedly, and relied on his friend to deal with others for him without realizing it. Kaito-san is a complex man, and complex things are the most fragile."

"He really is," Orihime said sadly, thinking back on all the things she'd noticed in the time she'd known Kaito. The list was depressingly long. "Do you— no, this— I— let's talk about this later, when we have some privacy?"

Chad's firm nod seemed to indicate he understood what she was getting at, what she didn't want to speak of aloud in front of _Kaito_. And maybe it was a breach of privacy to speak about it at all; was it wrong to talk about PTSD with his other friends like this? She _knew_ Kurosaki and Ishida had noticed _something_ off, but she didn't know if they had a _name_ for it yet.

(Right or not, she still would. They couldn't _help_ if they didn't understand what they were facing.)

(And the less chance they had of accidentally triggering the man, the better for _all_ of them, especially Kaito. Friends didn't hurt each other if they could help it.)

(She'd need to start researching again, now that she was older and could understand more. What little she'd managed for _Sora_ had been only enough to sooth her fears and concerns at that time.)

Ishida twitched and abruptly looked down at his food; when Orihime looked over, Kaito was watching them with a fond smile and amused expression. She couldn't resist smiling back at him, pleased to see him paying attention to the world again. But then his gaze darted away, eyes widening a bit, and he started choking.

"Kaito-san!" she yelped, putting her chopsticks down and immediately raising a hand in preparation to summon her fairies. What had happened? Why was he _choking_ so suddenly? There was _nothing_ where he had looked! "Are you okay?"

He waved a hand and started sipping at his water, expression shading towards embarrassed as his coughing fit began to fade with every careful sip he took. "It's alright. I just swallowed something wrong, is all. I apologize for disturbing your conversation."

"Well, so long as you're sure. I'm glad you're okay!" Orihime pulled out her best cheerful expression as she sat back, not letting it fade until Kaito was safely focused on his food again.

"He's lying," Ishida said soon after.

Kurosaki considered Kaito, then shrugged and resumed eating, feigning nonchalance. "Probably. He gets that way, sometimes. Like he's having a conversation with someone we can't hear."

"Shinigami thing?" Chad asked.

Kurosaki started to shake his head, hesitated, then finally shrugged and gave Chad a look that Orihime couldn't parse. "Maybe? _I_ don't hear anything from my blade, though…"

"Maybe it's something that only shows up when a Shinigami has attained bankai," Ishida suggested. "Or maybe it's a power-set thing, like how Inoue-san has her six spirits."

She frowned a bit and gently touched the hair clip, considering Ishida's idea. It sounded logical, at the very least; they knew so little about Kaito's abilities and even less about Shinigami powers in general. "Does it matter?" she asked absently, as she considered what little she knew about Kaito's fighting style. "If he hears voices or not, I mean."

"No," Kurosaki immediately responded.

"Only if it gets him in trouble," Ishida added. He glowered at Kurosaki, saying, "I know you've noticed it. Where he goes distant—"

" _Later_ ," Orihime interrupted, fixing both Ishida and Kurosaki with a quelling stare. "Let's finish eating before he gets _annoyed_ at us, and talk about this _later_." Like when they weren't several feet away from the person they were talking about. She wasn't entirely convinced that Kaito _couldn_ _'t_ hear them, but a glance proved that his gaze was once more unfocused.

(Credence to the idea of spirits talking in his head, or just disassociation and evidence of how poorly he was reacting to being back?)

(Kami, let it be the spirits… Kaito was terrifying enough when fully cognizant. She didn't want to face him in the midst of a flashback.)

"Yeah, alright," Kurosaki agreed when no one else spoke up to do so.

Orihime mulled over what she knew in silence, eating on autopilot as she tried to recall everything she could.

If only Tatsuki could be here at her side. She desperately missed her friend's steady confidence, yet Tatsuki was powerless, injured, and back in the Living World awaiting their return.

(She had never realized how much she relied upon her friend until she _couldn_ _'t_.)

(When she got home, she was going to tell Tatsuki _everything_. Her friend deserved at least that much.)


	10. Sado Yasutora: Evening Training(DE Ch18)

"Inoue-san? Sado-san?" Ishida asked warily as Chad and Orihime herded him towards the furthest corner. He held tight to the Reishūkaku, looking between the two of them in confusion and then back to where Kaito and Ichigo were standing.

Chad shook his head. "They need space," he told Ishida before glancing at Orihime, wondering if she felt up to elaborating. She remained silent, head down and gaze distant, worrying at her lip as she worked her way through her thoughts. He let her be; she had been the most affected by their initial training with Kaito, no matter what she pretended. "You said that Kaito-san was more powerful than Ichigo." Not that he had ever thought otherwise; not after that first morning's training.

"Well, yes," Ishida agreed, fiddling with the Reishūkaku and making it flicker like a firefly. "But his control is very good—"

"It isn't," Orihime interrupted, then gave Chad a pleading look.

(The weight of feral power forcing them to the ground, brutal and heedless of potential harm. Leashed by a thread he could feel straining whenever Kaito began to struggle.)

(Kaito was a man on the verge of drowning and clinging desperately to life.)

"He has enough control to keep himself from hurting us," Chad explained slowly, struggling to put into words what he _knew_. "But it's… wild. Like… like a young horse, wanting to go everywhere and see everything. He knows his strength but he doesn't… _know_ his strength."

Ishida frowned and stared down at the Reishūkaku in his hands. "He doesn't want to hurt us," Ishida said slowly, working through Chad's words. "I know what it feels like when he _does_ , and he _doesn_ _'t_. If… if he has enough control to keep from hurting us, then… why would he need to practice control? He can use the Reishūkaku easily, he _showed us_ , so… I don't… I…" he hesitated, tilting his head down and tucking his chin into his chest, gaze fixed on the orb and avoiding both Chad and Orihime. His next words were spoken with reluctance, and so faintly that Chad needed to strain to hear them, "I don't understand…"

(Ishida was expecting to be mocked.)

(They really all were a mess of problems, weren't they?)

(And that was leaving aside the fact that _Ishida knew what it felt like when Kaito wanted to do harm._ When had _that_ happened?)

"Not wanting to hurt us doesn't change the fact that he _could_ by accident," Chad said, keeping his tone gentle and even. "Would you blame a young horse for knocking you over in its excitement to reach you?"

"I… no," Ishida slowly agreed, not looking up. He pulled the orb closer to his chest, cradling it in one arm and tracing abstract patterns on it with his free hand, the light within pulsing and swirling in time with his motions. "But is he really..?"

"He is." Orihime stepped closer to Chad, pressing against his arm in search of comfort, then continued, "I don't… know how old Kaito-san is, but after everything he's been through…"

Chad rested a hand on Orihime's shoulder, trying to offer what comfort he could.

(Feral power, thick with bloodlust and fury, undercut by so much fear and pain Chad had nearly choked on it.)

(Kaito hadn't wanted to strike them, but he had still powered through, ruthlessly disregarding his own desires and wellbeing in favor of theirs.)

(In favor of giving them a chance at survival.)

(Had Ishida's exposure been the same, or had Kaito actually _attacked_ him?)

Ishida swallowed thickly and raised his head to eye the two of them warily.

(Power tightly leashed, control as natural as breathing… nearly feral beneath it all.)

(It was so easy to see why Kaito paid the most attention to Ishida. If Ishida _broke_ , how much more would he resemble Kaito?)

(Had Kaito once had perfect control as well?)

(Had Kaito initially _hated_ Ishida for being what he could no longer be?)

"Out here," Chad began again, hoping he could find the right words this time, "Kaito-san has space. His reiatsu can… linger however it wants, and he can keep it from us if he needs to. But he said we need to balance our reiatsu, and he… we…" Chad huffed in frustration, the words slipping from his grasp. He wished he could just _show_ people what he felt, instead of needing to slot it all into words.

Orihime lifted a hand to rest it atop his and gave him a warm smile; even Ishida made no motion to hurry him on, just watched and waited, brows drawn together and mouth twisted into a puzzled frown.

It gave him a moment to breath, to sort himself out and find the words he needed to hopefully clear up some of Ishida's puzzlement. Trying to explain a lack of control to someone _naturally_ in control was… more difficult than he had expected. "We need balance, but Kaito-san's power is… is overwhelming. He could drown us without even noticing or meaning to. In a space as small as _that_ ," Chad gestured to the Reishūkaku, "it wouldn't even take much. A moment's distraction, and we're all paying the price. Ichigo might be fine, but that won't help _us_."

"I… guess," Ishida agreed, beginning to relax his grip on the Reishūkaku and visibly collecting himself. "But… are you sure?" he asked softly, gaze steady on Ichigo and Kaito. "He can't hide himself like his father can, but… but surely…"

Orihime moved forward and rested her hands on the Reishūkaku, fingers overlapping Ishida's and a gentle smile on her face. "He is incredible, isn't he?" she asked. "Even with all that power, it's so difficult to spot how fragile his grasp on it is at times. I wish… I wish he wouldn't hide so much of his struggle from us. I wish we could do _more_ for him than we are."

Ishida's hands twitched, shying away from Orihime's touch, and he stared at her with mostly-concealed uncertainty. "I don't think he'd allow that," he answered.

"No, he probably wouldn't, would he." She sighed, then looked at Chad and nodded towards the Reishūkaku. "We should get to practicing, though. I wonder… how difficult is it to find a balance?"

Chad stepped closer and settled his hands on the Reishūkaku as well. Ishida didn't seem to truly _understand_ , not yet, but that was okay.

(Small steps. For both trust and understanding.)

(He hoped his Abuelo was proud of him.)


	11. Kurosaki Ichigo: On Control (DE CH18)

Ichigo followed Kaito to the spot they'd been training at before, wondering what Inoue and Chad knew that he and Ishida didn't. The way they had reacted to Kaito's mention of needing practice spoke volumes.

"I have incredible control for my age and the amount of power at my disposal," Kaito said while holding out the Reishūkaku. "But my reserves are enough to dwarf those three _combined_ , and even you are only just starting to compare."

"Huh." He hadn't realized that Kaito's strength was that great, but Ishida would probably just say that Ichigo was a terrible sensor. Which… well, Ichigo was self-aware enough to know was true; unless he was actively trying, it was difficult to sense details of those around him. "So, how old are you, anyway?" he asked, wondering what Kaito meant by 'for his age'.

(Was _Ichigo_ _'s_ control good for his age? Or was it different for Kaito, since he had been born a spirit? Was Ichigo's human heritage a factor?)

Kaito laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement and his expression reflecting an honest, surprised cheer from the question. "Older than you, and that's all that matters," he replied with a mischievous smile. "Come on, let's get practicing. Try to match me as best you can — we'll be aiming for minimal output, but the biggest hurdle will be synchronizing our power and then remaining in sync."

Ichigo nodded and gathered himself, carefully pulling forth a thread of reiatsu and feeding it into the orb as Kaito did. It was a challenge to keep the flow steady, and the shell that formed around them _showed_ that struggle. Their powers clashed against one another, struggling for dominance in the small area, and suddenly Ichigo _understood_.

(If they weren't alone right now, would he and Kaito hurt the others even without meaning to?)

He didn't know what to do; he struggled to calm his power, but it kept escaping his grip and lashing out, trying to drive Kaito's reiatsu aside. He'd _thought_ he was better, but this… this was proof that he had a long way to go before he could consider his control 'acceptable'.

(He would do it. However long it took, _whatever_ it took, Ichigo wasn't going to leave himself this uncontrolled. Not when it posed a danger to his friends.)

Kaito showed him the way, reaching out and matching his output to Ichigo's, keeping pace no matter how Ichigo's reiatsu rippled or twisted. "Try to keep up with me," Kaito murmured, before gentling his output and holding it steady.

Ichigo scowled deeper and struggled to follow, struggled to lessen his output, to match what Kaito had done. His control kept slipping, but he kept trying, and Kaito waited patiently for him every time he needed it. The lower they went the harder it became, but it seemed like _Kaito_ was having more trouble than Ichigo was, despite how they'd begun.

It was like watching something topple in slow motion, Kaito's control disintegrating piece by piece until something _snapped_. Power _seared_ at Ichigo's senses as it exploded outward, and he yelped and jerked back, severing his connection with the Reishūkaku. And just in time, because even separated from it he could _feel_ the way Kaito's reiatsu _poured_ in the Reishūkaku like a river in flood.

(Even _he_ would have been hurt from that!)

Ichigo flinched back, throwing up an arm to shield his eyes from the light that blazed forth from the orb in Kaito's hands. It was like being trapped next to a miniature sun, so bright he could see it even through his eyelids, and he didn't dare open his eyes.

"Shit," Kaito muttered darkly, voice frustrated.

The light gradually dimmed, until Ichigo felt safe to drop his arm back to his side and squint through the remaining light in an attempt to gauge Kaito's mood. Kaito's brow was furrowed in frustration, but he didn't seem angry, just… annoyed.

"Again, then?" Ichigo offered, stepping up and setting his hands on the Reishūkaku once more.

"Yeah," Kaito agreed, brow smoothing out. "Once more."

Ichigo took a deep breath and sent his reiatsu back into the Reishūkaku, trying to keep it as stable as possible. Kaito met and matched him in a heartbeat, and once more they began to descend, limiting their output and struggling to keep themselves stable.

He could feel Kaito's struggle, now that he was looking for it; the more Kaito tried to hold back, the more his reiatsu flared and rushed forward, shredding their delicate balance. And no matter how many times they approached the point where Kaito lost control, no matter how much better Ichigo became, _Kaito_ _'s_ control never improved. And the more he failed, the blacker Kaito's mood became, his reiatsu edging into a deadly fury that was terrifying to sense.

Kaito huffed and lifted a hand free of to pinch the bridge of his nose, struggling to rein in his rising temper.

"We could stop?" Ichigo offered, then immediately raised his hands in surrender and retreated a step when Kaito glared and _growled_ at him, eyes flashing golden. "Or not. Just offering." When the gold faded from Kaito's eyes, Ichigo cautiously approached, wary of setting his friend off again and unsure if Kaito actually wanted to continue practice.

(He felt so off-balance, clumsy and awkward and like a terrible friend; he kept angering Kaito when all he wanted to do was show the man that he had _friends_. That he didn't _need_ to continually force himself to be strong alone.)

(But it was like the idea didn't make sense to Kaito. Like he'd lived alone for so long, lost so much, that he was convinced that 'friendship' was impossible for him.)

Ichigo frowned deeper as he watched Kaito's pale eyes become streaked with brown. _Gold_ was familiar — he'd seen shades of it in Kaito's eyes during some of their wilder spars — but _brown_ was… new. And there was something _strange_ about the feel of his reiatsu, a familiar edge to it that Ichigo couldn't place and didn't understand.

He hesitated to send his reiatsu into the Reishūkaku, waiting as Kaito struggled to produce anything controlled.

(Struggled against himself? Were they _right_ about Kaito having spirits in his head that spoke with him? Was _that_ what the eye-color changes meant?)

(Gold and brown… so at least two if that was the reason.)

The Reishūkaku came to life in Kaito's hands, and Ichigo reached out and sent his own power into it, trying to match Kaito immediately. It was difficult, though; he hadn't expected Kaito to be already waiting at the lower edge of where he'd been previously struggling. Whatever the man had done, it _seemed_ to be fairly effective.

(Kaito was still struggling, though. Still wavering on the edge of control despite it being _better_.)

"Lower," Kaito ordered, glancing up to fix Ichigo with a look. "I think I have a handle on it this time."

' _But you don't!_ ' Ichigo wanted to protest, staring at Kaito's striated eyes, but clenched his jaw and swallowed back the words. Did it really matter where Kaito's control came from? They were on a deadline, and even _he_ could tell that staying within Kaito's unaltered limits would be too much for Inoue and Chad. So he swallowed his protests, nodded in acceptance, and let the matter be.

Kaito reduced his output and Ichigo kept pace as best he could. It was _hard_ , even with his improved control; the more he tried to restrain himself, the more his powers struggled, threatening to drown both of them.

(Was this what Kaito was fighting?)

Ichigo scowled at the Reishūkaku and grit his teeth, ignoring the sweat trickling down his face as he struggled to keep his reiatsu in check. He would not fail, would not give up; not in the face of Kaito pushing through his own difficulties.

It was still a relief when Kaito cut the connection and gave them a moment to breathe. Ichigo swiped at his face with a hand to wipe away the sweat, then met Kaito's challenging gaze with one of his own.

(Once wasn't enough. Once would _never_ be enough. If this was _both_ of their lower limits, then they needed to become _unassailable_ at this point.)

They settled in to practice, driving themselves as low as they could go and holding their output there until their control began to waver dangerously. Again and again and again, until Ichigo felt like he was about to collapse from the strain, like his fingertips were burnt from power, like he'd run a marathon without training.

(If he felt like this, how did _Kaito_ feel?)

(The man's fury had drained away with every round practiced, and now all Ichigo could sense was _exhaustion_.)

The next time the shell dropped, Kaito pulled away with a shake of his head, leaving Ichigo holding the Reishūkaku. Kaito turned to look at the other three, his striated eyes narrowing and a thread of _annoyance_ creeping in past the exhaustion at the sight of the stranger. He darted away in a burst of shunpo, appearing next to the stranger with his arms crossed over his chest and cleared his throat loudly to get the man's attention.

(Did he and Kaito… not get along? Who was that man?)

"Yaah!" the man exclaimed, leaping back and pointing at Kaito. "You! My sister warned me you were coming!"

Ichigo hurried to cross the distance, hoping the stranger didn't spark Kaito's fury once more.

"Ganju." Kaito pushed the man's hand away from his face and shook his head, lips curling up into the edges of a snarl. "I take it you're the one Kukaku-san is sending with us?"

"Of course! So you gotta listen to everything I say!" the man boasted as he attempted to look intimidating.

(Ichigo had seen better displays from some of the punks he fought regularly.)

Ishida sidled up to him and shot him an incredulous look that Ichigo had to agree with. _This_ was their 'local backup'?

(He had a bad feeling about this.)

"Only when what you say makes sense," Kaito said with a sharp smile. "Or do I need to get Kukaku-san involved again."

Chad rested a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and leaned in a bit, murmuring in Ichigo's ear, "He reminds me of your father."

Ichigo scoffed and shook his head; even in Soul Society he couldn't get away from reminders of Goat-face. Chad was right; Ganju was displaying a slightly less obnoxious version of Goat-face's over-dramatics.

"Tch, cheap shot," Ganju grumbled. "So, you idiots are breaking into Seireitei, huh? With a kami-damned Shinigami at your side."

"Substitute Shinigami!" Ichigo barked, bristling at the way Ganju said 'Shinigami'. Was _this_ the hatred Kaito had grown up surrounded by? Did he face it even here in this compound, a place where he was supposed to be safe? "Got a problem with that?"

"Yeah I got a problem with that!" Ganju shouted as he got in Ichigo's face, expression furious. "You fucking Shinigami think you're entitled to _anything_ you fucking want. From that blond bastard over there straight on down to _you_. Barging into our lives and demanding shit and thinking you're all that!"

Only Chad's hand on his shoulder kept Ichigo from lashing out, fury rippling through his body. "We're not barging into anything! We're here to save our friend, and Kukaku agreed to help us do that."

Ganju snorted and looked at the others, gaze cold. "Your friend, huh? So, what, you promise to save them or something?"

"No." Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at Ganju. "She saved my life, gave up her powers to a complete stranger so that I could save my family, and now she's being punished for it. So I'm going to repay her by saving hers."

(And he'd _keep_ saving his friends, until the Shinigami got it through their stubborn heads that they weren't allowed to _touch_ his friends without a real reason.)

"That's what friends do!" Inoue chimed in with a bright smile. "We're friends with Kurosaki-kun _and_ Rukia-chan, so we're helping both!"

"She helped me protect someone," Chad agreed.

Ichigo glanced curiously at Ishida when the other teen didn't speak up, wondering at Ishida's motivation.

But Ishida didn't meet his gaze, just huffed softly and fiddled with his glasses. "Don't look at me, I barely knew her."

(Barely knew her, but still fought desperately at Ichigo's side to keep her in the Living World?)

(Ah…)

"Then what are you here for? Money? Fame?" Ganju asked in confusion.

"Hardly," Ishida scoffed, shaking his head but still not meeting any of their gazes. "Your money's worthless in the Human World, after all, and why would I care what some Shinigami think of me? I'm here for the challenge of it."

"He's here," Kaito broke in with a smirk that made Ishida pale, "because he's Kurosaki's friend even if he refuses to admit it."

"Sensei!" Ishida squawked, panicked gaze darting to Ichigo and then away.

(That wouldn't do. Ishida was _their_ friend, and didn't deserve to doubt himself or his place. Ichigo had thought he'd made that clear already.)

(Well, he'd just need to keep reminding Ishida until the teen _believed._ )

(Just like he needed to do with Kaito.)

Kaito didn't say anything more, just grinned cheerfully at Ishida and let the teen sulk.

Until, that was, Ganju turned to Kaito and asked, "All of you? Seriously?"

"I'm here to make sure these four don't get into too much trouble," Kaito deflected quickly, hands moving in a 'what can you do' gesture.

"And because you're our friend!" Inoue added.

Kaito inclined his head to her, cheerful smile gaining a fixed edge and his wary gaze darting between Ishida, Ichigo, and Chad.

(His silence spoke volumes, confirming everything Ichigo had feared.)

(Kaito didn't believe he had a place amongst them, either.)

Before Ichigo could say anything, Kaito reached out and snatched the Reishūkaku from his hands, gesturing for the teens to come closer. He didn't speak, though, merely studied Ishida with a worrying intensity, chewing on his lower lip.

"What do you need?" Ishida eventually asked.

Kaito hesitated, then said, "You're going to need to be the bridge between us." He gestured between Ichigo and himself, then Inoue and Chad. "We don't have time for the two of us to gain the sort of control we actually need. Your heritage should allow you to balance us."

Ichigo inhaled sharply at the suggestion, shooting Kaito a worried look.

(Was this one of Kaito's 'completely necessary risks'? Did Ishida even understand the danger Kaito was putting him in?)

"Our other options are less palatable," Kaito told Ichigo darkly, an edge of regret in both his tone and his pale eyes. "Unless you like the idea of causing harm to all of them? No. Keep your output steady and your mind calm. I have confidence in Ishida-kun."

Ichigo grimaced and reluctantly nodded, already planning to speak with Ishida about the dangers as soon as they had a spare moment. "Fine."

(Necessary risk or not, he needed to be sure that Ishida understood what he was agreeing to. No one should walk into danger like that blind.)

(Hopefully Kaito was merely assuming that Ishida knew the dangers, and not leaving the teen purposefully in the dark.)


	12. Sado Yasutora: At Bedtime (DE Ch18)

Chad finished arranging the blankets on his futon and sat down just in time for someone to knock on their door. Ichigo glanced at him and Ishida then went to investigate, cracking open the door and peering out, his stance relaxing when he saw who it was.

Orihime stepped into their room, expression determined, and looked around. When Chad tilted his head at her in curiosity, she gave him a firm nod and moved towards him.

Now was a good enough time as any to discuss Kaito, he supposed, before they threw themselves into the heart of danger in the morning, but… he still felt reluctant. It was necessary, he _knew_ it was necessary, but it still felt a bit too much like revealing secrets he had no right to speak of to others.

"It'll be worse if we're the only ones who know," Orihime murmured softly as she settled next to him and rested a hand on his knee in support. She looked between Ichigo and Ishida with a serious expression, composing herself for the conversation ahead. "I think… we should come clean about what each of us know about Kaito-san, alright?" When the other two nodded, she clasped her hands together and nibbled on her lower lip. "Uhm… Kurosaki-kun, you had something against what Kaito-san was having us do at the end?"

Ichigo scowled and nodded, looking to Ishida as he asked, "Do you know the dangers of what he's asking you to do?"

Ishida hesitated, confusion flickering across his expression, then slowly shook his head. "I… besides losing my grip and letting the two of you hurt Inoue-san and Sado-san?"

"Danger to _yourself_ ," Ichigo pressed, lips thinning in frustration when Ishida shook his head again. "When Kaito-san was teaching me to channel my reiatsu into the Reishūkaku, he said that what he was doing was a Quincy thing, directly manipulating my reiatsu like that. And… Ishida," Ichigo leaned forward, expression worried, "if Kaito or I slip up, even a little, we could hurt you _badly_."

Ishida fiddled with his glasses and looked away from Ichigo, focusing on the floor between them. "Then _don_ _'t_ ," he said. "The two of you had a solid grasp on it when we were practicing—"

"We really, really didn't," Ichigo interrupted. He shot an apologetic look at Chad and Orihime and continued, "I can only just remain stable at that level, and did you notice his eyes?"

Chad nodded, remembering the odd streaks of brown in Kaito's pale, green-grey eyes. It had reminded him of _Ichigo_ _'s_ eye color, actually, the similarity even more startling with Ichigo and Kaito standing next to one another. "There was brown in them."

"Oh! Yes, I remember thinking that was odd," Orihime chimed in. "I've never seen that color in his eyes before, have any of you?"

They all shook their heads, and Ichigo said, "I think… I think we were maybe right? About him having spirits in his head that he talks to."

"The eye colors." Ishida frowned, fingers tapping absently against his legs as he thought. "That pale color being Kaito himself, the gold that shows up often being one, and the brown being a second that we've not met before now."

"I think so, yeah," Ichigo agreed. "When the brown showed up, Kaito-san's control…" he hesitated, brows furrowing. "It was like part of him was holding the rest back? Like he was fighting against himself, almost. And suddenly he could limit his output better."

Chad considered that, trying to pull up what little he knew about Shinigami. He'd never noticed Urahara Kisuke's eyes changing color at all, but perhaps his inner spirit — spirits? How many did Shinigami get? — had a similar enough eye color that it was unnoticeable. Or it was a sign of how young and untrained Kaito actually was, that his spirits would come forward like that.

(Or maybe it was a result of trauma.)

(He hoped that wasn't the case…)

"Well… I guess that's better than the _other_ option," Orihime said softly, wringing her hands and pressing into Chad's side. He lifted a hand and rested it on her shoulder, trying to give her comfort.

Ishida shot both of them a confused look. "Other option?"

"Dissociation," Chad said bluntly. "Flashbacks from being back here. He—"

"—has flashbacks," Ishida finished awkwardly, looking back at the floor again, shoulders drawn up and chin tucked towards his chest. "I know. That night…" Ishida swallowed, gaze flickering towards Ichigo then back to the floor. "That night, when we tried to keep Kuchiki-san in the Living World… when he saw you on the ground… it was like a switch was flipped. He just _froze_ and stared at your body and… and when Tsukabishi-san tried to touch him, senpai threw him across the street and into a building, then called his bow and tried to _kill him_."

The three of them exchanged wary glances. That was a significantly more deadly reaction than Chad had hoped, but no worse than he had expected. Not after what he'd felt in Kaito's reiatsu that time: that desperate, feral edge that kept him moving despite how much he detested his own actions. Kaito was a survivor, and he was still in the mindset of _surviving_.

"I wonder if he was in a flashback when the three of us first fought," Ichigo said with a grimace. "That would possibly explain the way he kept attacking you like that."

Ishida shook his head, hands tightening into fists. "He… saw himself in me," Ishida explained warily, gazing darting between all of them. "Or… where I was heading. The decisions I was making."

Chad grimaced inwardly at the admission, even if it did confirm what he had suspected about the similarities between Kaito and Ishida.

"Huh. But then he decided to train you?" Ichigo asked, then stiffened and asked worriedly, "Ishida, did he—"

"No," Ishida said sharply, squaring his shoulders. "He didn't attempt _that_ again. When I came to help you that night, I separated myself from him in his eyes. It was fine, Kurosaki, he did nothing more than actually train me."

Implying that their first meeting was less than amicable.

(Ishida knew what it felt like when Kaito wanted to do harm.)

(How much self-hatred did Kaito have, to take it out on a stranger?)

(And how much worse would it get while here, in the place where it began?)

"This whole invasion is a bad idea," Orihime murmured, echoing Chad's thoughts. When Ichigo scowled and leaned forward, Orihime shook her head and held up a hand. "Please, Kurosaki-kun, it _is_ ," she nearly begged. "You're _right_ , we need to save Rukia-chan! But… but we shouldn't have let Kaito-san come with us. Not once we knew what he'd face when coming here!"

"Do you want to try to tell him no?" Ishida asked. "You heard Kukaku-san, she wasn't particularly surprised to see him back here with us."

"And that's why we need to be careful with him," Orihime said, wringing her hands and glancing nervously between them. "She said Kaito-san's father is stubbornly loyal, and that would be why _Kaito-san_ followed us back here. Loyalty like that… with everything else about him… we can take advantage of him so easily, and I doubt he'd make a single protest."

Ichigo frowned, and Chad had to agree. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but… wasn't that precisely what had already happened? Kaito had come with them to a place where he was in great danger, for not stated reason other than 'making sure they didn't get in trouble'.

(If that wasn't stubborn loyalty, Chad was uncertain what was.)

"It's worse than that," Ichigo said thoughtfully, hands flexing and tugging a bit at his hakama. "He might be loyal, but he doesn't believe himself worthy of being counted a friend."

"Then trying to dissuade him from coming would have been the worse option," Ishida said with confidence. At the looks he received, he adjusted his glasses and continued, "He would have taken it as a dismissal, not concern on your part. That he was only worth the training he could provide and nothing more, that you didn't trust him to fight alongside you to achieve your goals."

"We'll be careful, then. Watch what we ask of him and how we treat him. We owe him too much already," Chad said, while wondering how much of that applied to Ishida as well. Ishida, who felt near-feral beneath his careful control, who expected to be mocked for admitting he didn't understand, who hesitated to ask for help.

(Kaito wasn't the only complex and fragile person in their group. Just the most obvious.)

Orihime nodded in agreement. "Anything else?"

Ichigo made a thoughtful noise and nodded. "I think we should try to keep him out of combat as much as possible without being…" he gestured vaguely, "pushy? Obnoxious? About it. I don't… think he really wants to fight. He can, and he will, but I think he'd prefer not to."

"He said he'd seen too much death when he snapped out of it that night," Ishida added.

"I've only ever seen him fight that one Hollow at Don Kanonji's show, and… I don't think he really _wanted_ to, either." Ichigo frowned in thought, gaze drifting to the side as he remembered that night. "Whenever he didn't need his blade, he had his hands in his sleeves…"

"He had his hands like that before he even jumped in," Ishida said. "Whenever I saw him at the show he had his hands tucked away. And he still does it, though not as frequently, so maybe it's just a habit?"

"Wait, you were _there?_ " Ichigo asked, incredulous. "But I didn't see—"

"Kurosaki, until senpai nearly beat it into your head, you barely remembered my name, I am _hardly_ surprised you didn't notice me in the crowd before you really knew me," Ishida said dryly.

Ichigo laughed awkwardly and rubbed at the back of his head, smiling sheepishly at Chad's amused glance. "Yeah, that's, uh… sorry. I'm bad about that."

Ishida shrugged, a faint smile on his expression. "I've become used to it."

"I don't think the hands thing is _just_ a habit," Orihime broke in, redirecting the conversation back. "When Tatsuki and I first met him, we startled him pretty badly. He was… not paying attention to anything when we approached," she said cautiously, then took a deep breath and continued, "he jumped back and took a fighting stance, but when he saw who had approached him he hid his hands in his sleeves. So… I think he does it when he's nervous or uncomfortable."

"But not always," Chad added, thinking back on when Kaito helped them gain their powers. "He didn't when he first trained us."

"He had Yoruichi-san on his shoulders, though," Orihime said, looking up at him.

Chad considered that, then nodded in agreement. Yoruichi appeared to give Kaito comfort, so his presence and the part Kaito needed to play likely kept Kaito from the nervous gesture.

"How did— no, never mind, it doesn't matter," Ishida started to ask, before shaking his head. At Ichigo's curious look, Ishida said, "Leave it, Kurosaki. Neither of us want to know."

"Want to know _what_?" Ichigo demanded.

"How Kaito-san woke our powers," Chad guessed. Ishida's wince confirmed his suspicions, and he frowned at the other teen. "You already know."

"Suspect," Ishida admitted reluctantly. "It… sensei taught me, once, all the different ways for a person to awaken their powers. But most of it requires… more time."

"More—?" Ichigo scowled and looked between them, scowl deepening when only Chad would meet his gaze. "Chad? Ishida? _Orihime?_ "

" _Violence_ , Kurosaki," Ishida bit out before Chad could respond, tilting his head up and trying to hide how uncomfortable the subject made him. "Senpai used violence to trigger their powers, because a soul in peril will reach for _anything_ in the quest to survive." Before anyone could respond, Ishida jerked to his feet and stalked to the door. "I'm going to use the bathroom."

A hush fell over the room as Ishida closed the door behind him, then Ichigo cleared his throat and looked at Chad. "Did— shit," Ichigo muttered when Chad nodded before he could finish his question.

"Leave it," Chad told his friend. "It's done. We requested he help us. If Ishida-san is right, that was the only way."

Ichigo glowered at him, then huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. That's… fine. It can't be changed, you're right." He looked between them. "Any other bombshells you'd like to share?"

Chad shrugged, then looked at Orihime in curiosity when she cleared her throat.

"We need to be careful about _Ishida-kun_ too," she said softly. "His loyalty is almost like Kaito-san's, and I think we could abuse it almost as badly if we aren't careful."

"I had hoped, but…" Ichigo grimaced but nodded in acknowledgment. "I think you're right. Neither of them believes they have a place amongst us, and Ishida reacted too firmly when we brought Kaito-san's loyalty up earlier."

"Then we'll just have to prove it to them," Orihime declared. "Agreed?" When Chad and Ichigo both nodded, she smiled and rose. "Okay. I think I'm going to head back to my room to sleep. Goodnight you two, and tell Ishida-kun goodnight for me?"

"This is a mess," Ichigo murmured when Orihime closed the door behind her.

"We'll get through it," Chad reassured his friend. "Just be yourself."

Ichigo ducked his head, scowl lightening towards a smile, and mumbled something about simply treating people with dignity, before he turned away to fuss with his bedding.

Chad smiled at the sight, confident in Ichigo's ability to reach both Ishida and Kaito. He would need to do his best as well, but so long as he continued to _think_ before he acted, and considered how Ichigo might respond, he didn't think he would make too many mistakes.


	13. Kurosaki Ichigo: Jinzen Scene (DE Ch19)

Ichigo knocked on the frame of the door to Kaito's room a second time, leaning close to see if he could hear movement in the room. "Is Kaito-san usually a heavy sleeper?" he asked Yoruichi when he continued to hear nothing through the door.

"No," Yoruichi said, before pacing forward and poking his paw at the edge of the door frame. The door wriggled, slid open a crack, the further as Yoruichi pried it open with his paw. "Wait here," Yoruichi told them, before squeezing through the small gap and into Kaito's room.

Ichigo exchanged uncomfortable looks with the other teens; they hadn't been given permission to enter, but Yoruichi had said Kaito wasn't a heavy sleeper. Had even seemed a bit concerned himself, as he went to investigate. What if something had happened while the rest of them had been asleep?

Orihime edged closer, shot him a challenging look, then peered through the gap—

Her shoulder slammed into Ichigo's shoulder, forcing him back and giving her room to shove open the door and bolt into Kaito's room. "Oh no!"

Chad caught him before he could fall and turned them both back towards the open door. His left hand clenched and rose, reiatsu gathering through his arm in case he needed to defend them. But he faltered at the sight inside, and Ichigo couldn't blame his friend; Kaito was huddled in a far corner, blades crossed over his lap and hands resting on the hilts. His eyes were closed and his chin was resting on his chest, giving the appearance of someone sleeping upright.

But Kaito's sleep kimono was stained with bloody patches that looked fresh and wet, and the room smelled of sweat and spilled blood.

(What had he been _doing_ all night?)

There were dark bags beneath Kaito's eyes, and his shoulders were slumped in weariness; clearly being back in Soul Society was taking a heavier toll than Ichigo had expected. He wished he'd realized— wished he'd _thought_ about the consequences before just _allowing_ Kaito to follow them, but—

( _'Trying to dissuade him would have been the worse option.'_ )

Orihime was on her knees in front of Kaito, wringing her hands and trying to get a response out of their friend by calling his name. But he remained unresponsive, still but for the even rise and fall of his chest.

"What in the wor—" Ishida's voice cut off abruptly, hand rising to cover his mouth and eyes wide in shock. " _Kurosaki!_ " he hissed. "Is that—"

"It's blood," Chad confirmed grimly.

"He's bloody _all over_!" Ichigo pulled free of Chad's grip and darted into the room after Orihime. "Yoruichi, what the _hell_?!"

Yoruichi turned narrowed eyes upon them, ears back and tail lashing from side to side in irritation. "I thought I told you to remain outside?"

"You seriously think we'd stay out when you didn't give us a _reason_?" Ishida hissed in frustration, baring his teeth at Yoruichi and flexing his right hand as if to call up his bow.

"I _thought_ you would respect his privacy and—"

"Kaito!" Orihime cried, sharp and afraid and louder than any of her previous attempts.

Kaito _jerked_ back to awareness, head snapping up and eyes darting about, pupils blown wide. "Wha—"

"You're bleeding!" Orihime exclaimed as she edged a bit closer. Her hands rose and her healing shield flickered into existence around Kaito at last, Kaito's awakening snapping her out of her uncertainty and into her healer mode.

Except… Orihime's worry, her _fear_ , seemed to confuse Kaito more than anything. The man's brows drew together and his lips pursed, and it was only when he looked down at himself that wounds finally seemed to register.

Chad shifted closer to Ichigo, and he glanced up at his friend in question.

"We need to be careful," Chad murmured. When Ishida looked over, expression edged with worry, Chad explained, "I've seen that look before. Those wounds… he doesn't care. They don't matter, or register as anything more than irritants."

Ishida drew in a sharp breath, jaw flexing, before he looked away from the two of them and back to Kaito. "I guess death isn't the only thing he's seen too much of, then," he whispered, voice only just carrying to Ichigo and Chad.

"It wouldn't be," Chad agreed darkly.

Ichigo grimaced. It made far too much sense, given what little he knew of Kaito's past, but… it wasn't something he really wanted to consider.

(But he had to. For all of their sakes.)

(How much did a person have to go through, to stop caring about injuries? To stop caring that he went to bed healthy and woke up wounded and bleeding?)

(How did that even _work?_ )

Kaito cleared his throat, trying for a nonchalant tone as he said, "It's nothing to worry about—"

"Nothing to worry about?" Orihime glared, and Kaito raised his hands in a placating gesture that she ignored. "You're bleeding and you consider this _nothing to worry about_?"

Ichigo scanned Kaito carefully, trying to determine how badly the man was actually injured. Perhaps it looked worse than it was, or he had some way to heal himself that they didn't know of. Either way, he needed _information_ , so he could begin to learn Kaito's actual limits.

"Something he does regularly, then?" Ishida murmured thoughtfully, glancing at Ichigo then back to Kaito. "Training?"

"To get wounds like that?" Ichigo asked. Not that he could see many of Kaito's injuries, only the bloody patches that were scattered across Kaito's sleep kimono. Kaito _did_ seem to enjoy making shallow, bloody wounds on _them_ when he trained them, though, so perhaps…

But the fact remained that Kaito had gotten them _overnight_ , without any of them being alerted to combat. And Kaito's room was too small for the sort of darting, active combat that Kaito practiced, much less against some unknown opponent.

Kaito's smile came bright and cheerful, at odds with the blood and Orihime's worry.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the sight. If Kaito was putting on a mask for them, he couldn't see through it. That… scared him.

(How many other smiles that Kaito gave were a mask? How much was he hiding from them?)

"Let me explain before you keep jumping to conclusions?" Kaito asked them, gaze shifting between them. "I was practicing jinzen, which is an advanced method of communicating with my zanpakutou. It brings the inner and outer worlds into a closer sync than usual, which means that injuries I sustained in combat in my inner world appeared on my physical body."

Ichigo suppressed a wince at the information. _He_ was a Shinigami, technically. Did that mean..? "All Shinigami do this?"

"Yes," Kaito agreed with a fond pat of the white blade's hilt. "A soul with a zanpakutou needs to remain on good terms with their blade. A zanpakutou is more than just a weapon, after all. It's a part of _me_ , an extension of myself that I rely upon to see me through combat. I'm not _helpless_ without my blades, but I am certainly lesser."

Zanpakutou were that important to Shinigami? Ichigo took a mental step back and _looked_ at Kaito and his posture. Took in the way Kaito's hands rested on the hilts of his blades, his fingers tracing absent patterns over the metal. The way he looked so _comfortable_ with them. He had thought it was just a result of Kaito having the blades for so long, but… a part of his soul…

What did that mean, to a Shinigami born as one? Kaito spoke of communication, but Ichigo had never heard anything from his blade. Had he..?

(Except in the Shattered Shaft.)

(Was _that_ what Kaito was talking about?)

(Could he… talk with that spirit he'd met? How did one _do_ that?)

"There, all better!" Orihime sat back on her heels and let her shield fade away, her expression turning stern. "And if you ever do that again, I want you to tell me so that I can heal you."

Confusion flickered across Kaito's expression before he covered it with a smile. "I usually ask Tsukabishi-san, or relax in the healing spring in the training ground, but if you're around, of course I will." The _look_ he gave Orihime as he said that… Ichigo couldn't quantify it.

At his side, Ishida took a sharp breath, shoulders rigid and body tense, his focus on Kaito.

"Ishida?" Ichigo murmured as Kaito gestured and all of them stepped back to give the man room to stand.

Ishida shook his head. "Just… confirmation," he told Ichigo. "He—"

Kaito _swayed,_ nearly falling, and all of them jerked forward in response. Orihime, by dint of being closest, hovered with her hands poised to catch Kaito if he _did_ fall, concern on her face as Kaito rubbed at his thigh.

"I'm fine," Kaito tried to reassure them with a grimace of discomfort. "My legs are just a bit numb."

Which… made sense. If Kaito had remained in that folded position all night, tucked away in the corner and unmoving, then it stood to reason that his legs would protest moving.

(That he had _done that_ said even more.)

(How much did it hurt, being back here? Enough that Kaito would prefer _this_ over sleep?)

Kaito's look sent them retreating again, and the man stepped out of the corner while stretching. His motions sent the fabric draped over his shoulders fluttering, and Ichigo stared at it as it moved. It seemed… familiar.

 _Very_ familiar.

"Are you… wearing Hat'n'Clog's coat?" Ichigo asked incredulously, watching the sway and flutter of the dark fabric with tell-tale white diamonds decorating the bottom edge. Why the _hell_ was Kaito wearing _that_?

Kaito's mischievous smile gave Ichigo a bad feeling, as did the way he slipped his arms through the sleeves and settled the haori properly across his shoulders. Bloodstains aside, he looked… he looked…

Kaito stepped around Ichigo while he was still trying to process the sight, and bent to scoop up something else. At his side, Ishida gave a strangled _whine_ as Kaito settled a familiar — if color-shifted — hat atop his head and briefly flicked open the — also color-shifted — fan.

He winked, playful and happy and clearly having _fun_. "Just a final bit of disguise is all!"

A quiet _click_ noise caught Ichigo's attention, and he tore his gaze away from _Hat_ _'n'Clogs junior_ to see… Yoruichi with a camera? The cat looked smug as he pressed the button with a paw, triggering the camera again. His tail twitched happily, and when he met Ichigo's gaze there was an honest _joy_ there.

Ichigo looked back at Kaito, at the way the man stood, the unfeigned mischief and cheer on his expression in clear mimicry of his father. A father he'd only just met a few months ago.

(What was it like, to love so deeply? To clearly enjoy a chance at mimicry and the dismayed reactions it prompted?)

(Ichigo could understand why Yoruichi was taking those pictures. This was )

"Disguise?!" Ishida exclaimed, horrified. "That's not a disguise! That's you looking like a copy of Urahara-san!"

"Ara, ara, no need to be so offended by that," Kaito said, pouting at them and fidgeting with his fan, amusement in his shadowed eyes.

"I thought you wanted to hide!" Ishida continued in frustration, before turning to Ichigo and nearly begging, "Kurosaki! Talk some damn sense into him!"

Ichigo arched an eyebrow at Ishida; what in the _world_ did Ishida think _Ichigo_ could do about this? Ishida sighed in resignation and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Kaito's laughter drew their attention back to him; he had a hand on the brim of his hat, the fan tucked away out of sight, and for a moment Ichigo almost thought it _was_ Hat'n'Clogs standing in front of them.

(This is what he would fight for. This laughter, this _joy_. For Kaito to smile so freely without Ichigo needing to wonder if it was a mask.)

(For _all_ his friends to do the same.)

In the back of his mind, something _shifted_.

(Was that… a voice?)


	14. Ishida Uryuu: On Breaking In (DE ch19)

It had been going well, Uryuu thought, just like all their training the previous evening. Inoue had briefly lost control, distracted by the world flying by below them, but she'd quickly caught herself and nothing had happened. Yoruichi had even helped him smooth out the meshing of everyone's reiatsu, lessening his burden and giving him more breathing room than he'd expected.

It had almost been enjoyable, knowing that his strength, his _abilities_ , were useful to the others like this. Even with Kurosaki's warning about the danger of what he was doing, Uryuu felt his confidence rise with ever moment that passed. They approached the wall and Uryuu braced himself; they had been told there was a barrier there, generated by the wall, and that breaking through it would be difficult.

They hit with a sound like a struck gong, and Uryuu could _feel_ the way it resonated through his body. But he narrowed his eyes and _focused_ , unwilling to let the ripples in their combined reiatsu shatter their synchrony.

And then it all went to hell.

Uryuu grit his teeth and _yanked_ , forcing his senpai's suddenly-wild reiatsu to focus on _him_ instead of the others. It _seared_ across his senses, wild and fretful and _terrified_ , burning his channels and clawing at his grasp like a feral cat. But he didn't let go, didn't give into the pain; he would not fail any of them. The others were depending upon him to keep them safe, and he knew enough to know his senpai would never forgive himself if any of them were harmed.

( _'He could drown us without even noticing, or meaning to,_ ' Sado had told him last night. He hadn't understood in that moment, but…)

(Crushed beneath the sharp-edged _terror_ , Uryuu thought he just might understand now.)

As suddenly as it had lashed out, his senpai's reiatsu settled, gentling in his mental grasp. The terror still lingered, lurking around the edges, but his senpai was no longer mindless with it.

(What had caused that reaction?)

"We're through!" Inoue cheered as they crashed into a wall and the protective shell dissipated.

Kurosaki nudged Uryuu as they all sorted themselves out, giving him a grateful look when Uryuu turned to see what the other wanted.

"Thank you," Kurosaki murmured. "I felt that, and what you did. Are you alright?"

Uryuu's mouth went dry and he looked away, an unfamiliar warmth settling in his chest. "I'm fine," he said when Kurosaki poked him a second time. It wasn't even much of a lie; the pain was already fading, and a tentative check confirmed that he hadn't scorched himself. He could still fight without a problem.

"Don't be too quick to celebrate," Yoruichi warned. She glanced around and then hopped atop the wall they had crashed against, giving the world another scan from her new perch. "That was the easy bit."

(The 'easy' bit?)

Warmth forgotten, Uryuu turned his head, meeting Kurosaki's wary look with one of his own; even after all that training, they had nearly failed at the last minute. And that was the 'easy bit'?

His senpai bent to retrieve the Reishūkaku and tucked it away into his bag, then looked up at Yoruichi. "Sensei, will you lead them to safety?"

Wait, _what?_

Lead them to safety?

"What do you mean, 'lead them to safety'?" Kurosaki demanded before Uryuu could wrap his mind around his senpai's words. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"Someone needs to be the decoy," his senpai said flippantly, a cheerful (fake!) grin on his face.

(Even now, Uryuu could feel an echo of his senpai's terror. The way his reiatsu had _writhed_ , lashing out blindly.)

('Decoy' was the absolute last role his senpai should take in this place.)

Urahara-senpai's grin faltered, wariness-uncertainty- _confusion_ slipping through the man's mask as he looked between them. "I can't guide you in Seireitei. I don't actually know much about this place—"

"So your brilliant plan is to run around blindly and make noise?" Uryuu had had _enough_ of his senpai's foolishness. He stalked forward and grabbed Urahara-senpai's kimono, yanking the man close and staring into his eyes. Fury _blazed_ through his mind at what he found there.

(He was _running from them!)_

"After everything you've pounded into our heads about teamwork and trusting each other and not charging off on our own. After _telling us_ that you, too, would seek out a partner to fight alongside if you knew you were outmatched, _this_ is your brilliant plan? To do everything you told us not to?!" Uryuu raged, grip tightening.

His senpai's mask _shattered_ at his words, leaving the man's expression filled with confusion and wary disbelief. He didn't fight Uryuu's grip despite being partially off-balance, just let Uryuu hold him in place as he stared at Uryuu and then past him to the others.

(Oh.)

(Oh _hell._ )

(His senpai was worse that he was, wasn't he…)

"He's right," Kurosaki said. "You can't just expect us to be okay with this. Not after everything you've told us."

"There has to be another way," Inoue agreed.

Sado stepped up behind Uryuu, one hand coming to rest on Uryuu's back as he stared down at Urahara-senpai. "We're not leaving you to the mercy of the Shinigami."

Uryuu shivered at the touch and the words, risking a quick glance up at the other teen. Was that… was Sado…

(He and his senpai were both Quincy. Both in danger for that reason.)

Sado's resolute gaze settled Uryuu's mind, even as it appeared to do the opposite for his senpai.

Urahara-senpai looked lost, his mouth slightly open as if to speak, but no words emerged. There was a fragility to him that Uryuu had only ever seen the edges of before, like one wrong word would see the man shattering to pieces.

Uryuu was confident they could do this, could convince his senpai to give up and come _with_ them instead of haring off on his own, they just needed—

"If you won't let any of _them_ go with you, then take me," Ganju spoke up, breaking the moment.

Uryuu could see his senpai gathering himself, tucking away the fragile edges and vulnerability, his mask rebuilding itself. "I thought you didn't like me?" his senpai asked with a shadow of his usual levity.

 _Damn_ Ganju!

Uryuu tightened his grip on Urahara-senpai's kimono, feeling the simmering anger coming from his classmates, mirroring his own; with one sentence, Ganju had lost them their chance, and all of them but that annoyance knew it!

"I like the Shinigami less," Ganju said, apparently ignoring the disapproval being aimed at him.

His senpai's gaze moved between them, lingering on their faces even as his hands rose to clasp around Uryuu's where he had grabbed the man's kimono.

(Was he giving in..?)

Urahara-senpai pried Uryuu's grip free, then stepped back.

Uryuu _lunged_ , hand extended to capture his damn-fool stubborn senpai once more and _never let him go_ _…_

His hand closed on air.

"I'll be fine," Urahara-senpai said from above them, a wistful, fond smile on his face as he looked down at them. "Sensei, see that they remain focused on their goal, would you?"

"I will," Yoruichi agreed solemnly.

Urahara-senpai knelt to pet Yoruichi once, then darted away without looking back.

He was gone before Uryuu realized it.

(Why had that sounded so _final_?)

(Was his senpai… not expecting to survive this?)


End file.
